Chesapeake

When conservative candidate Therm Pooley's criticism of Kerr's government-sponsored performance art lands him a Senate seat, Kerr seeks revenge

The centerpiece of Pooley's political career is his labrador retriever, Lucky, whose tricks ingratiate Pooley to voters

So Kerr seeks to kidnap and retrain Lucky

But his attempt is foiled by a mysterious and supernatural transformation that brings him closer to Pooley than he ever imagined ...

REVIEWS

"If life were fair, we would send everyone off to Second Stage's latest attraction without revealing much more than our wild enthusiasm for a one-man play with the deceptively straightforward title CHESAPEAKE

If theater and journalism, just for today, could conspire to keep audiences as uninformed as possible about Lee Blessing's brilliantly off-kilter fantasy ... people might get a chance to duplicate our pleasure at discovering the hairpin philosophical joyride with so few expectations

Basically, we'd like to be able to say three words and leave it at that

Arts. Politics. Dogs

Anyone who finds each word intriguing on its own and the three irresistible together should be transported by the shaggy Blessing story ... with hints of Kafka and comic books, the Old Testament and Lassie, not to mention the afterlife and the obvious timely connection to our mayor's new arts platform

The text is rich with inspiration and mockery on both sides of the culture wars

Kerr begins with some touching and hilarious insights about his father, who instilled a love of art in his son through outrageously original means

There are also ruminations on the mixed benefits of extended childhoods and an eloquent, breakaway senatorial speech in defense of art that we'd like to have sent to all taxpayers. All this happens with a casual sense of play and a serious grasp of impotent rage ... the destination is as profound as the journey is entertaining" ~ Linda Winder, Newsday

Originally produced by New York Stage & Film Company, starring Mark Linn-Baker