Review: ANOTHER DING DANG TAMARIE SHOW! at Catastrophic Theatre
After twenty-eight years of these things, we really shouldn’t be surprised that Catastrophic Theatre has just unleashed ANOTHER DING DANG TAMARIE SHOW! It’s a summer tradition, a Houston cultural obsession, and a great time at the MATCH with some awesome air conditioning and free beer Fridays. This is show #29, and this time Cooper and her crew are taking us through the creative process of creating these out-of-control musical sketch comedy shenaniganzas! It’s fun, it’s frothy, and light. And boy, do they say F*@K a lot in this ding dang show. An entire musical number is constructed around this expletive, so if you are easily offended… then why the f*@k are you going to a Tamarie show? I am an admitted fan of all things Tamarie, so excuse any mania contained within this review of the revue. I am besotted by both Ms. Cooper and her trusty side-fella, Kyle Sturdivant. This show makes me smile from the first lighting cue to the last bow from the company. You just can’t beat this kind of magic!
Truly, these shows are ingenious musical sketch-comedy pieces that remind me a ton of both Carol Burnett and variety shows of the 70s as much as something like a South Park, The Simpsons, or Family Guy. They are a chance to watch “serious actors” let go and do really silly fun stuff that they almost never get to do in any other play, unleashed by any other company. If the thought of a TED talk on the thespian subject, dancing cockroaches, a love number to candy, or an extended AI tribute makes you all tingly, buy a ticket immediately. If you voted for Trump, think grant-supported arts are of the devil, and blanche at the thought of a young man stripping down to a Speedo for no real reason other than the cast loves it, then maybe consider a nice children’s theater matinee somewhere else.
Tamarie Cooper and Kyle Sturdivant are really going for broke in this ANOTHER DING DANG TAMARIE SHOW, and they carry most of the weight of the production. They have always been the center of this madness, and this 29th iteration leans in heavily to that concept. Whatever number Tamarie doesn’t carry, Kyle takes over, and often they duet together while trying to make the other crack at any moment with their mugging and tugging at each other. Kyle’s sexy “Candyman” number is a standout and one of the hottest things you are likely to see this summer. He also gives an equally courageous turn as a vastly misunderstood monster of Tamarie’s own creation, hiding in a storage unit. It’s a joy to watch Tamarie wrestle with her own creative process, and she is the center of a mind-blowing comedy juggernaut about a dance she would like to create. Tamarie is a whirling dervish of quickly executed physical comedy and plaintive meditations on what it means to be an artist in this modern era.
Among the chorus, John Dunn makes for an all-too convincing AI personified, and Abraham Zeus Zapata captures the intricate dramatic nuances of an iPhone. Walt Zipprian portrays a petulant partition with his usual flair for foul-mouthed sonnets. Miika Stewart and Mara McGhee try to out-diva each other, and the end result is a draw since both are so fabulous. Sara Jo Dunstan creates a toddler version of Tamarie that is truly inspiring. Bryan Kaplun somehow deep throats a party balloon, and oddly, it becomes a breathtaking, dramatic moment for him and a defining part of his career. Raymond Compton, Juan Sebastian Cruz, Dillon Dewitt, Jeanne Harris, Brandon McCormick, Jenna Morris Miller, Rebecca Randall, and Clarity Welch all rise to the occasion of ANOTHER DING DANG TAMARIE SHOW as if they are in Central Park with Joseph Papp producing a work of the Bard for the people. These folks are committed in every way you can imagine.
One thing I always admire and look at in awe is the technical aspects of these productions. Ryan McGettigan provides a scenic design that impossibly takes you inside a composition notebook! Moon Papas did the scenic construction, and it is executed beautifully. Hudson Davis and Shawn St. John respectively handle lights and sound. Tim Thomson inserts hilarious video moments on a screen that is integrated perfectly into the set. And of course, Tamarie Cooper conceived, directed, choreographed, and oversaw the costumes. Does she just keel over in August and refuse to move?
I always look for a punk rock moment with Catastrophic in every show the company produces. And for ANOTHER DING DANG TAMARIE SHOW, it has to be when the whole cast gets together to sing a song called “F@*K THIS S#!T,” in response to the state of the world today. Forget Beyoncé or Lady Gaga, this should be the summer jam of 2025. It perfectly captures everything going on in the world today, and nobody but Tamarie Cooper could muster the guts to deliver it at the Catastrophic Theatre. ANOTHER DING DANG TAMARIE SHOW is as much fun as the 28 other Tamarie shows that have preceded it, and it’s amazing how fresh and cool she and her cast keep it. Even my 79-year-old mother told me after the performance opening night, “I am so impressed by how well Tamarie Cooper moves, and how charismatic Kyle Sturdivant is!” I say that is a ringing endorsement from a conservative lady from the Woodlands who was dragged there against her will after some Chinese food. Brava, Tamarie Cooper! Brava!
ANOTHER DING DANG TAMARIE SHOW runs at the MATCH through August 2nd. Tickets are “PAY WHAT YOU CAN,” and available through the MATCH website and the link below. There are several restaurants within walking distance, including sushi, sandwiches, Chinese food, and pizza. In honor of Tamarie, I usually gorge myself on an order of egg rolls. It’s a tradition!