CHUPACABRA review on TheaterJones.com

One Life To Live
by Kris Noteboom
TheaterJones.com | published Friday, January 24, 2014

Dallas — The YOLO Solo Festival is currently happening at the Margo Jones Theatre, performed around the current Audacity Theatre Lab production of Andy Eninger's The Last Castrato, starring Jeff Swearingen and directed by Brad McEntire. Presented by Audacity and curated by Elaine Liner, the eight short plays of YOLO (the common hashtag meaning "you only live once") are each 30 minutes or shorter.

I Brought Home A Chupacabra

Written by Brad McEntire | Directed by Ruth Engel-McEntire | Performed by Lauren Moore

Lauren Moore performs I BROUGHT HOME A CHUPACABRA

It’s a common enough story. A person comes across a stray animal and decides to give it a good home. It’s a particularly sweet story...typically. But, what if that stray animal is none other than the pseudo-mythical beast, the chupacabra? That’s actress Lauren Moore’s conundrum in Brad McEntire’s hilarious dark comedy I Brought Home A Chupacabra.

Moore tells the story of going on a hiking trip with the boyfriend she’s consistently drifting away from, both emotionally and physically as he bounds ahead of her on the path. Then, off in the brush, she hears a purring sound. She investigates and finds the legendary goat-sucker, known as the chupacabra.

Moore’s reaction is not fright or disgust, but rather similar to how someone might react to finding a baby bulldog. Essentially, “D’aaaawww!” She takes the beast home with her and sets it up in her laundry room. All seems well...

Until, of course, her and her boyfriend are awakened one night to “Chupy” sucking on the boyfriend’s leg. This doesn’t end well for the relationship, but ends up bringing Moore and her demonic looking pet closer together.

McEntire has a knack for taking the everyday and introducing an element of fantasy that makes it an almost absurd situational comedy, and Chupacabra is no different. The writing is really top-notch.

But, great comedic writing requires a great performer who “gets it” to be successful. And Moore is equal to the task. Her sense of timing and pacing makes for a lot of laughs, even as Chupy is randomly attacking animals and people. Her ability to keep the tone light-hearted—practically oblivious to the horror—is a major feather in both her cap and the show’s.

Taking the “what if” game to its extreme is a fun activity, and no one is better than McEntire at it. Taking home a chupacabra is everything you’d expect: horrific yet, so darn cute, cuddly and viciously funny.

Original review... HERE