The Food Chain is PowPAC's latest audience challenge -- and those familiar with playwright Nicky Silver are used to his challenges. He assaults you with language. He tests your feelings about sexuality. He investigates human frailty and defies you to object to his statements. While the The Food Chain is a comedy, it quickly dissects the human condition with deep and dark undertones. Amanda's (Annmarie Houghtailing) husband of three weeks, Ford (James M. McCullock) has been gone for two of those weeks. She calls a crisis hot line manned by Bea (Eileen Ivey). Meanwhile, in another part of Manhattan, Otto (Brent Stringfield) is confronting Serge (Nino Rodriguez). Seems he wants to continue a love affair that burned out four years ago. That's the plot -- well, sort of!
Silver twists and manipulates the American version of the English language with panache, and director Jonathan Sachs has cast well to show off Silver's work. The first scene (one of three) is a non-stop marathon by Houghtailing as Amanda attempts to explain her life to Bea. Houghtailing runs the gamut of emotions as she spills her trials and tribulations. The virtual monologue is excitingly full of emotional power. Ivey is a sheer delight playing the classic Jewish mother while manning the hot line phone. Her interjections and bored reactions are pure joy. When Amanda explains her first sex with Ford, Bea perks up, suddenly quite interested and pulled away from her Victoria's Secret catalogue. McCullock, as her husband, runs the gamut of A to A-, which is exactly what is expected of Ford. (I didn't do a word count on him but am sure they could be counted on one hand.) McCullock's reactions, however say all that's necessary. Scene Two pits Stringfield, as the rejected, pathetic lover, Otto, vs. Rodriguez, the male model Adonis, who would prefer that Otto disappear, preferably from the face of the earth. Springfield's Otto is commanding, the rejected lover who hangs on by a bare glimmer of false hope. Rodriguez prances and struts, convincing everybody, except poor Otto, that he deserves much more and will get it. Scene three has plenty of surprises for its frustrated lovers, Jewish mothers and hot-line helpers.
The three- location set is well designed, making for quick, quiet scene changes. Still, I would like to see more detail in Amanda's apartment, which doesn't quite reflect her social or economic background, despite the attractive furniture. Jim Millard and James M. McCullock's lighting design offers subtle variations that enhance the changing mood of the scenes. The music is appropriate, if perhaps too understated. Get past the smoking, gun shot, strong language and adult themes, and see this delightfully serious comedy dealing with loving and caring and much, much more.
