Plotholes: A Fool’s Foibles Produced by Interact Theater at Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts

A cardboard box on the edge of the stage shakes. A black-costumed “imp” emerges, and then several more imps appear, each with its own disfigurement. Farting.

With this appropriate irreverence, Interact Theater celebrates the move to its new home with “Plotholes: A Fool’s Foibles,” the first in an ambitious, three-year series of works under the heading “A Fool’s Journey.” The new musical, directed by Jon Ferguson with music and lyrics by Aaron Gabriel, was created by the 41-member company of performers and five guest/staff artists.

Interact’s mission to support the creative growth of artists with disabilities is based on a vision it calls “radical inclusion.” This doesn’t restrict the company so much as it opens it up to other ways of creating and performing new work. What Interact does is to figure out what its artists can do and then exploit it in the best possible way. What we get is a thoroughly enjoyable evening of theater – and it’s like nothing you are likely to see elsewhere.

This production was a little loose compared to others I’ve seen by this company, but it also served to underscore the play’s congenial tousle with fairy tale tradition.

So, there are naughty imps. Then a company of plumbers enters, including one “Mervin,” who is cautioned to “get his head out of the clouds and down in the toilet where it belongs!” He is the play’s protagonist and Everyman in this fractured fable.

There is a Queen from one land and a King  (accused of being a “Tight-ass Andronicus”) from another. They don’t get along and resolve to build a wall. They also attempt to arrange a marriage for their children.

The princess sends her suitors off to slay a dragon. Gods appear in the clouds; the gods’ messenger, “Jim,” requests a tip (with his hand out) and is given one (… alternative meaning). Mervin’s quest lands him in the cave of a two-headed dragon that sings, “There’s always a better side.”

There are tap-dancing jesters and more wonderful excuses to have the plumbers dance and sing. And more. And more. It’s dizzying! But somehow it all makes just enough sense to get us to its unconventional ending.

I often found myself thinking, “What just happened?” And laughing out loud about it. Yes, there’s a great deal of silliness in the play’s plot developments, but the over-arching story is very much grounded in a simple – and serious – reality: not every ending is a happy one, and not every dream comes true.

Back in the days of court jesters (or “fools”) there was limited understanding of disabilities; jesters were frequently disabled, or came from the ranks of society’s outer margins. Their separation from others, however, gave them a unique perspective from which to observe human behavior. For this company, this seems a compelling premise on which to construct their “Fool’s Journey.”

I made the mistake of calling this company non-professional, by the way. I stand corrected. Everyone is paid; they’re absolutely a professional theater. Interact Theater, furthermore, is one-of-a-kind, with a clear mission and an established track record of imaginative original works.

You really should make your way to their brand new theater and art gallery on Minnehaha in St. Paul (almost in Minneapolis, so centrally located). I can promise you a rewarding evening that will surprise and delight you.

The show runs through May 16. Note that it has a 7:00 p.m. curtain time.