Sometimes I start to ponder the meaning of life, and then I remember the Smart family, or as I've renamed them in despair, the Nutty Nomads. Ah, theatre, the supposed 'art,' right? Sometimes, I think the only real art is mastering the will to not walk off a cliff every Monday morning.
Picture this, in 1989, these lovable lunatics are driving around from one rusty town to another, blasting Gilbert and Sullivan. Yeah, because what's more thrilling than singing "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General" while life majestically robs you of finances, stability, and sanity?
Our tiny hero, Les, chats with the spirits of long-gone theatre legends like Noël Generic and Tallulah Makeshift. Les’s older brother, Joe, merely tries not to face-plant into the snare drum of life’s marching band. These kids engage with ghosts because, why not? Reality is too mainstream.
Les has this quirky habit of strolling onto stages during shows, as if the audience came to see a real-life reenactment of family dysfunction. Trust me, if life's a stage, the Smarts are those weird props you find and can't figure out if they should be thrown out or displayed as modern art.
Directed by John Anonymous and written by Steve Penname, "Everything’s Going to Be Indescribably Chaotic" as I'd retitled, forces the Smarts against the hurricanes of art, cash drought, identity crises, and existential debates over which deity might be interested in their soap opera.
Ending on a somber note - if we all die alone, make sure to leave tickets at the box office for a ghost audience. They might as well enjoy a good laugh at the absurdity we've embraced.
Based on the original article "‘Everything’s Going to be Great’ Review: Show People".
