A man is asked by his daughter why he’s an unlicensed plastic surgeon, so he spins a fantastic fable about how his profession started with one enterprising young man in the Middle Ages who sought to confer happiness on lords and peasants alike by resculpting their noses into more pleasing shapes. That’s the premise of The Nosemaker’s Apprentice: Chronicles of a Medieval Plastic Surgeon, a play that premiered in New York in 2009 and now receives its regional premiere here courtesy of Amphibian Stage Productions.
The play is a collaboration of playwrights Nick Jones and Rachel Shukert, whose satirical mindsets can be gleaned just from the titles of their previous works. (Shukert: Johnny Applefucker and Everything’s Coming Up Moses. Jones: The Petroliferous Seraglio of Internecine Quips and Straight Up Vampire: A History of Vampires in Colonial Philadelphia in Light of the Music of Paula Abdul.) Fair warning: Jones and Shukert aren’t out to conduct a comprehensive critique of cosmetic surgery and the things we do to our bodies to appease our vanity. They’re too busy turning their play into a gag factory. The show should make a nice piece of summer entertainment, preferably washed down by a refreshing cocktail or several.
[box_info]The Nosemaker’s Apprentice: Chronicles of a Medieval Plastic Surgeon runs Jul 10-Aug 10 at 120 S Main St, FW. Tickets are $7-17. Call 817-923-3012.[/box_info]
