THEATER REVIEW- Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players: The Complicated Life

In bright tights, sparkling face paint, hoop earrings, and a modest brown suit fed-exed exclusively from the 1970’s, the Trachtenburg family could easily find a home in any one of Wes Anderson’s films. Mom Tina, dad Jason, and their 14-year old daughter Rachel tour America collecting discarded slideshows; these pictures are then set to perky pop-rock ditties that lightheartedly describe, mock, and commemorate the average Joe’s and Jane’s of Middle America (also the name of their CD).

The absurdity in the everyday photographs (brushing one’s teeth, barbequing, going hunting, sitting on the couch) is accented by its larger-than-life display and accompanying soundtrack. The lyrics avoid being preachy instead opting for the childishly obvious, “Won’t you try some of my barbeque? This is what happens when you’ve had a few....Look at me! Look at me! Look at meeee!” Tina is in charge of the projector, Jason sings and plays the piano, and Rachel accompanies her father on the drums and smiles at the audience. In between sets, Jason rambles. His classically awkward musings expound on everything from a conviction that one day most top-ten bands will be slideshow bands, to a guarantee that the audience is allowed to waste his time after the show. Some of the technical difficulties in this early staging will hopefully be worked out throughout the run of the festival--- but even with the sound and projector problems, the on-stage dynamics make obvious that the family is just as amused with each other as we are.

The billing describes the set as a “real situation comedy, literally and figuratively” taking place in their apartment. “Are they for real?” I heard someone whisper behind me during the show, “They just can’t be real!”

The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players is a three-ring circus of self-referential voyeurism, and though I liked the show, I had trouble figuring out exactly what or who was on display.