TILDA SWINTON ANSWERS an AD on CRAIGSLIST-Cabaret Swing and a Miss at the Beechman Theater

The cabaret show TILDA SWINTON ANSWERS an AD on CRAIGSLIST is an absurdist comedy that attempts to sell a bawdy, suicidal fantasy that didn't suit my fancy.  That's not to say that Tilda Swinton (Tom Lenk TV's "Buffy and the Vampire Slayer") didn't vamp a performance that was to die for; Lenk's tour-de-force bravado elevates this bizarre, hallucinating farce into an oddly hypnotic show.  Byron Lane is the shows playwright.  Lane is a writer, comedian/actor.  He plays the role of Walt.  Walt is ranting over the phone to Wanda that his burger came with pickles despite his specifically said no pickles.  This tiny debacle is enough to push Walt to the brink of a manic suicidal pity party.   Walt's boyfriend Bobby (Mark Sullivan who also doubles as Walt's Dad) recently left him and Walt is left alone to consume a bottle of non-life threatening anxiety pills.  Enter, the grand dame, Tilda Swinton in haute couture Saran Wrap, sunglasses and a Mary Poppins white feathered tote from which she brings forth a plethora of items including a cappuccino machine.  Tilda is alabaster white faced with platinum blonde hair & appears ambiguously androgynous.  Her personality is anything but understated.  Tilda's bravado & bellowing narcissism won't be winning her any Oscars but she will have you under her bewitching spell.  Meanwhile, Walt's whining wears thin.  Bobby appears to inform Walt he put their apartment on Craig's list when he stops by nonchalantly to drop the key.  Bobby has moved on while Walt is mired in morass.  It's no wonder he's being dumped.  Walt's mother (an excellent Jayne Entwistle) who plays 2 other characters, including Wanda who got Walt's order wrong.  This peculiar play will never play in Peoria nor will it have mass appeal.  However, it did garner lots of glee from the cabaret audience whose inebriated St Patrick's Day drinking may have elevated their spirits and lowered expectations.  TILDA SWINTON ANSWERS an AD on CRAIGSLIST did not add up to a show I recommend.  But, there's a lot to be said for the standout, all out performance by Ton Lenk that draws everyone in.