‘The Mechanix’ – Two old friends reunite for a wild thrill ride

From August 23-September 6, old friends Sara Toby Moore and Matthew Martin will reunite at Z Below for “The Mechanix,” described by its creator Moore as “a science fiction-magical realism-human cartoon production.” Sounds like a wild ride.

Moore and Martin have been performing together for twenty years, most notably as Mr. and Mrs. Roper in Oasis’ “Three’s Company” parodies. They have also appeared together in Michael Phillis’ outrageous “Trog Live,” as well as “The Hand That Rocks the Crawford.” Martin is well known for his portrayals of several of Hollywood’s legendary ladies, with Mommie Dearest herself, Joan Crawford, being among his best-known characters.
“Matthew has always been a touchstone for me,” Moore said in an interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “Not only as a fellow stage artist but as a close and treasured friend. I mean, he’s one of two emergency contacts on all my damn forms!”

Moore explained what they mean when they refer to the show by its “science fiction-magical realism” subheading.

“Well, that subheading was just pitch-perfect because that’s what it literally is,” they said. “The show has elements of sci-fi in that many of the characters are supernatural and exist in an enchanted landscape. Magical realism is an artistic device that blurs reality and magic together, which is spot-on for an amusement pier that yields portals to other dimensions, and human cartoon is my own brand of, well, really both of those things combined.”

The show has four principal actors: Moore, Martin, Maureen McVerry, and DeMarcello Funes. There will also be an onscreen appearance from queer comic Erin-Kate Whitcomb. Moore wrote the show, while Colin H. Johnson serves as director.

“The music for the show is all found and woven into that very dynamic mashup of sound and image that Colin and I have been experimenting with since our days collaborating in Clown Conservatory at Circus Center,” Moore said. “Which of course culminated in our first production together, ‘The Supers’ at Z Space in 2020.”

Moore promises that Martin will be doing some serious acting in this show, which will include a couple of “Grayson Hall” moments. Hall was the actress who played Dr. Julia Hoffman on the classic TV series “Dark Shadows.” She was also nominated for an Oscar in 1964 for "Night of the Iguana," the first such nomination for playing a lesbian in Academy history. Hall was known for her somewhat over-the-top performances and Martin has said that Hall was one of his drag inspirations.

All drag
The B.A.R. also spoke with Martin.

“All theater is drag,” he said. “And I will be playing two roles, that of an aggressive interrogator, and then a wizened fortune teller, Irene the Machine, in Toby’s new production.”

Martin described the show as he sees it.

“It’s definitely a tragicomic odyssey with an amusement park setting,” he said. “The production is extremely funny and at the same time profoundly thought-provoking about who we are as people, and the reclamation and rediscovery of ourselves. Toby’s script is a unique melding of reality and fantasy together, taking the audience to another world of possibility and philosophy. Without getting too grand about it, you have the best clowns on display holding a comic mirror to the illusion we all call reality.”

Moore added that the show is definitely for an LGBTQ audience.

“As a queer human myself, along with Matthew, we definitely want our LGBTQ family to come through and see this hilarious, heartfelt show,” they said. “Especially now when we need to laugh and also be reminded how interconnected we all are in these terrifying times. ‘The Mechanix” is not only about restoration of enchantment, it’s how we fix and care for each other in times of trouble, all told through highly animated theatrics. We gays love our theatrics! And we love, love, love to laugh.”

‘The Mechanix,’ August 23-Sept 6, Thursday–Saturday, 8pm; Sunday, 2pm, $25-$45, Z Below, 470 Florida St.
https://www.zspace.org/mechanix