Do you know what’s worse than realizing you’re wasting your time at a show? Having that realization when you’re outside, you’re already freezing, and there’s a whole lot of show left.
In Let’s Not Turn on Each Other!, writer/performers Michael Watt and Jacqueline Walters play Bethandreth and Cownow, two young women, members of a Doomsday cult who have been sent to an outpost “to keep vigil” and wait for the ascension.
This is a musical and, to their credit, Watt and Walters sing well, often in harmony.
They are also committed performers, but that quickly becomes a negative. For the longest time, there’s no plot to speak of. Mostly, Let’s Not Turn on Each Other! feels like nothing more than an excuse to get weird. Bethandreth and Cownow listen to tapes recorded by their leader Andreth, who says things like “Turnips are obviously evil.” When they argue, they decide to sing “The Trouble Song”. So, as Bethandreth and Cownow shriek and race around — fully committed — their hysteria is pointless.
Finally, blessedly, the script finds a significant plot point and, briefly, the show is a bit lyrical and has some thematic heft. I won’t reveal that plot turn; if you’re watching Let’s Not Turn on Each Other!, you’ll need something to look forward to.
Remaining performances: September 16 (7:30 p.m.), 18 (6:15 p.m.), 19 (6:15 p.m.), and 20 (6:15 p.m.) Tickets and information.
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