The marquee! Perhaps you've loitered beneath it?

There's a saying that goes something like "Shoot for the stars, because even if you miss at least you'll hit a rock." The Annex Theatre is currently hosting Paper Houses, a show that has awesome entertainment potential in spite of a flawed execution. The greatest strength of the show comes from the tension between juxtaposing live music and staged theater. Theater generally has a fourth wall, and the audience is separate from what occurs onstage. Live music, especially rock music, is confrontational and demands audience participation in order to reach full potential.

This is the stage

And it's clear that the play doesn't quite reach what it wants to achieve. The setting of the play is a billboard owned by a demented old man, and the plot is so complex that most of the dialogue is weighed down by exposition. Nevertheless, sparks manage to fly between the various characters, and it has an incredibly entertaining second act that, combined with the music of Pony Time, is definitely worth seeing.

The cast is solid, with my personal favorite being Patricia Bonnell as Iris, who totally owns her role as the bitter wife of James (David Cravens-O'Farrell). Things really start to pop When Pony Time gets wheeled up onstage. They seem perfectly at home with the cast shouting in megaphones and running around in underwear, and their taught, super-fun disco-punk literally shines underneath the glittery stage lights, as you can see in this video.
The best thing you can do at this show is jump to the front of the stage and dance around whenever Pony Time starts playing, because that's exactly what I did and it was awesome. It definitely helps that they serve booze before the show and during musical performances. Also, if you don't feel like ponying up (hah! see what I did there?) for the full ticket price, I would recommend shooting an email to Jen Moon (jen.moon(at)annextheatre.org) to ask about how to get in for free in exchange for helping with the set-up and tear down of the stage and musical equipment.

In spite of its flaws, Paper Houses definitely made some inspired choices, and hopefully it will inspire more band/play collaborations. Find out more info on the Annex, the production website, and Pony Time by clicking the links. Performances continue March 29th-31st.