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THIS DINNER THEATER IS A PLEASANT SURPRISE You know those loud people in restaurants? The ones whose yammering ruins your dinner, and you just want to tell them to shut up? If you follow through on that at Natasha's Cafe tonight, say around 8, you'll ruin one of the most unusual theater experiences in Lexington. Surprise Theatre is the latest production from Balagula Theatre, the resident company at Natasha's that has presented some terrific nights of theater such as last summer's Phyro-Giants! by Michael Blieden and June's widely revered rendition of Neil Labute's Bash. Like both of those shows, Surprise messes with the form and setting a little bit. The idea this time is that three one-act plays just sort of pop up during an evening at the restaurant. It is such a surprise that several patrons Wednesday night were not aware theater would be breaking out during their dinners. Who wrote the plays? What are they about? Your humble critic is not going to spoil the surprise. They are quirky plays that will leave you contemplating things such as the sort of whammy your hometown might inflict on people or a moment at which you said the wrong thing. What we will reveal is that the cast is very strong, with an appearance by Adam Luckey, one of Lexington's best and most versatile actors, and an unforgettable performance from Edmund Desiato. The production also brings some emerging talents to the forefront. Tamara Bentley disappears into two distinctly different roles, and Nathaniel M. Barrett and Eric Ryan "Ilyich" Seale get some repartee going that would make the Seinfeld gang proud. Marcie Crim shares a table with Luckey for a piece that smoothly shifts gears, like a Porsche on that twisty road to Harrodsburg. Well, that's about as much as we can tell you without betraying the title of the evening. If you want to know more, and you're free for dinner tonight, you should go. Reach Herald-Leader arts writer Rich Copley at (859) 231-3217 or 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 3217, or rcopley@herald-leader.com. REVIEW 'Surprise Theatre'
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