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I ♥ Walmart

Presented by Capital T Theatre Company at Hyde Park Theatre

August 13-August 29, 2009

Avg. Event Rating (4.1 Stars):
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Hot on the heels of its summer hit, KILLER JOE, Cap T presents a new original work, I HEART WALMART, The play takes an irreverent and insightful look at the people who love Walmart, and the people who love to hate Walmart.
 

The play was conceived by Mark Pickell and Carrie Klypchak to answer the simple question "Why do
so many people love Walmart and continue to shop there?".

 

The play offers 12 contrasting Walmart experiences in an effort to explore the unique and divisive role Walmart plays in our society and culture. The show is being launched just in time to mourn (or celebrate) the conversion of Austin's
Northcross Mall into an “upscale” two story Pantheon of 24-hour consumerism.
 

Comprised from the writings of ten different playwrights across the US, including former local favorite
Jim Fritzler (of Nebraska now), I HEART WALMART is guaranteed to spark a conversation or two.

• At-a-
  Glance

  • Venue Info

    Hyde Park Theatre

    511 West 43rd Street
    Austin, TX 78751

    Full map and directions

  • Admission Info

    Tickets: $15-25 sliding scale

    Info Phone: 512.479.PLAY

  • Dates & Times

    Dates:
    August 13-August 29, 2009

  • Accessibility Info

    Currently, no accessibility information is available for this event.

  • Video & Image Gallery

    Video | Images Images

  • Member Reviews

    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Praise for Satire!"
      Review posted by: www.austinlivetheatre.com from austin,tx, Sep 02, 2009
      

      praising satire & portraits in I [HEART] Walmart, esp. Ben Wolfe and Travis Dean, admonishing on trade & econ. Read more at....http://tinyurl.com/m47b7o

      praising satire & portraits in I [HEART] Walmart, esp. Ben Wolfe and Travis Dean, admonishing on trade & econ. Read more at....http://tinyurl.com/m47b7o

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Slick and Jaw Dropping"
      Review posted by: www.austintheatrereview.com from austin,tx, Aug 26, 2009
      

      Capital T Theatre has hammered out another slick, jaw dropping play chock full of factual statistics intertwined with great performances by some of Austin’s best actors.... Read more at... Expand

      Capital T Theatre has hammered out another slick, jaw dropping play chock full of factual statistics intertwined with great performances by some of Austin’s best actors.... Read more at austintheatrereview.com Collapse

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Hilarious Theatre with a Very Valuable Message"
      Review posted by: Ryan from TX, Aug 19, 2009
      

      I must admit that when I first saw the ads for this play, I was a little skeptical, like "How could they?" but it was actually both hilarious and meaningful-- something we don't often get with modern... Expand

      I must admit that when I first saw the ads for this play, I was a little skeptical, like "How could they?" but it was actually both hilarious and meaningful-- something we don't often get with modern theatre. I thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance, the set the pieces, the performances, but I wish it went a little farther with and told more in detail about how evil Walmart really is. The monologue with the corporate executive talking about marketing and profits was hilarious and hit home hard. Collapse

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Capital T takes on Big Box"
      Review posted by: Rae from Austin, TX , Aug 18, 2009
      

      Nothing about this show is comfortable. The moment you enter, you will be faced with the choice of supporting a mom&pop;concession stand or the big box. You will be escorted to your seat by a greeter... Expand

      Nothing about this show is comfortable. The moment you enter, you will be faced with the choice of supporting a mom&pop;concession stand or the big box. You will be escorted to your seat by a greeter wearing his uniform proudly, bombarded by ads and discomfited by a giant “W” that begins on stage and extends invisibly into the seating, claiming the space emphatically. Having said all that, this is a wonderful production, with many, many moments of hilarity and poignancy. The characters in each monologue are brought to life by gifted performers whose energy seamlessly draws the audience into each piece and on to the next. Although a little heavy handed at the end, it is nonetheless definitely worth seeing. Collapse

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Laughed my butt off!"
      Review posted by: Kaiser from Austin, Aug 18, 2009
      

      A monologue show showcasing some very talented performers!

      A monologue show showcasing some very talented performers!

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Very Funny, if not a little Stereotyping & Un-balanced"
      Review posted by: Gamamine from Austin, TX USA, Aug 18, 2009
      

      Clearly, no-one involved in this production 'hearts' Wal-Mart...although there were a couple well-written pieces caricaturing the people who do. All-in-all, the series of monologues were fairly... Expand

      Clearly, no-one involved in this production 'hearts' Wal-Mart...although there were a couple well-written pieces caricaturing the people who do. All-in-all, the series of monologues were fairly well-written and well-performed (my favorite being the hilarious "Rebranding Meeting" by Larry Hill played creepily well by Mason Stewart) ...not all pieces were over-the-top: the performance of Adam Hilton in Brad Klypchak's "Bob" was touchingly human. Bringing in a nice contrast to the anti-Walmart sentiment of the show was Kenneth Wayne Bradley's "Wind Chimes and Vericose Cream" highlighted delightfully well by Travis Dean. It's definitely a good night of theatre, although the summary at the end seemed "public-service-announcementy" and was bit didactic. ...Just don't invite any of Wal-Mart's lawyers or PR people :) Collapse

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Some high points!"
      Review posted by: theatre snob from austin,tx, Aug 17, 2009
      

      While I came into this experience with extremely high hopes, I left with mixed feelings. There were many high points in this show. My fav selections include both pieces written by Brad Klypchak ( Bob... Expand

      While I came into this experience with extremely high hopes, I left with mixed feelings. There were many high points in this show. My fav selections include both pieces written by Brad Klypchak ( Bob and Rock and a Hard Place.) Two genuine, enjoyable pieces that were fully embraced by the actors and realized by the director. Both of these pieces accomplished what Capital T set out to do with this show, show a different side of Walmart. The other selection I really enjoyed was Why I Sold My Baby at the Walmart, a clever, well acted piece about a woman who..well... makes a difficult decision to sell her baby. Funny and engaging, the actress, company member Carrie Klypchak, has a blast with the role, and we feel for her and her situation. While I did enjoy other parts of the show, the over all feeling was that this was a mixture of strong and weak selections. Additionally, no need to hit us over the head with the call to action ending...we get it. Collapse

• Media
  Gallery

  • All Media Gallery

    Video | Images Images

• Member
  Reviews

  • Member Reviews

    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Praise for Satire!"
      Review posted by: www.austinlivetheatre.com from austin,tx, Sep 02, 2009
      

      praising satire & portraits in I [HEART] Walmart, esp. Ben Wolfe and Travis Dean, admonishing on trade & econ. Read more at....http://tinyurl.com/m47b7o

      praising satire & portraits in I [HEART] Walmart, esp. Ben Wolfe and Travis Dean, admonishing on trade & econ. Read more at....http://tinyurl.com/m47b7o

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Slick and Jaw Dropping"
      Review posted by: www.austintheatrereview.com from austin,tx, Aug 26, 2009
      

      Capital T Theatre has hammered out another slick, jaw dropping play chock full of factual statistics intertwined with great performances by some of Austin’s best actors.... Read more at... Expand

      Capital T Theatre has hammered out another slick, jaw dropping play chock full of factual statistics intertwined with great performances by some of Austin’s best actors.... Read more at austintheatrereview.com Collapse

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Hilarious Theatre with a Very Valuable Message"
      Review posted by: Ryan from TX, Aug 19, 2009
      

      I must admit that when I first saw the ads for this play, I was a little skeptical, like "How could they?" but it was actually both hilarious and meaningful-- something we don't often get with modern... Expand

      I must admit that when I first saw the ads for this play, I was a little skeptical, like "How could they?" but it was actually both hilarious and meaningful-- something we don't often get with modern theatre. I thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance, the set the pieces, the performances, but I wish it went a little farther with and told more in detail about how evil Walmart really is. The monologue with the corporate executive talking about marketing and profits was hilarious and hit home hard. Collapse

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Capital T takes on Big Box"
      Review posted by: Rae from Austin, TX , Aug 18, 2009
      

      Nothing about this show is comfortable. The moment you enter, you will be faced with the choice of supporting a mom&pop;concession stand or the big box. You will be escorted to your seat by a greeter... Expand

      Nothing about this show is comfortable. The moment you enter, you will be faced with the choice of supporting a mom&pop;concession stand or the big box. You will be escorted to your seat by a greeter wearing his uniform proudly, bombarded by ads and discomfited by a giant “W” that begins on stage and extends invisibly into the seating, claiming the space emphatically. Having said all that, this is a wonderful production, with many, many moments of hilarity and poignancy. The characters in each monologue are brought to life by gifted performers whose energy seamlessly draws the audience into each piece and on to the next. Although a little heavy handed at the end, it is nonetheless definitely worth seeing. Collapse

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Laughed my butt off!"
      Review posted by: Kaiser from Austin, Aug 18, 2009
      

      A monologue show showcasing some very talented performers!

      A monologue show showcasing some very talented performers!

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Very Funny, if not a little Stereotyping & Un-balanced"
      Review posted by: Gamamine from Austin, TX USA, Aug 18, 2009
      

      Clearly, no-one involved in this production 'hearts' Wal-Mart...although there were a couple well-written pieces caricaturing the people who do. All-in-all, the series of monologues were fairly... Expand

      Clearly, no-one involved in this production 'hearts' Wal-Mart...although there were a couple well-written pieces caricaturing the people who do. All-in-all, the series of monologues were fairly well-written and well-performed (my favorite being the hilarious "Rebranding Meeting" by Larry Hill played creepily well by Mason Stewart) ...not all pieces were over-the-top: the performance of Adam Hilton in Brad Klypchak's "Bob" was touchingly human. Bringing in a nice contrast to the anti-Walmart sentiment of the show was Kenneth Wayne Bradley's "Wind Chimes and Vericose Cream" highlighted delightfully well by Travis Dean. It's definitely a good night of theatre, although the summary at the end seemed "public-service-announcementy" and was bit didactic. ...Just don't invite any of Wal-Mart's lawyers or PR people :) Collapse

    • Event Name: I ♥ Walmart
      "Some high points!"
      Review posted by: theatre snob from austin,tx, Aug 17, 2009
      

      While I came into this experience with extremely high hopes, I left with mixed feelings. There were many high points in this show. My fav selections include both pieces written by Brad Klypchak ( Bob... Expand

      While I came into this experience with extremely high hopes, I left with mixed feelings. There were many high points in this show. My fav selections include both pieces written by Brad Klypchak ( Bob and Rock and a Hard Place.) Two genuine, enjoyable pieces that were fully embraced by the actors and realized by the director. Both of these pieces accomplished what Capital T set out to do with this show, show a different side of Walmart. The other selection I really enjoyed was Why I Sold My Baby at the Walmart, a clever, well acted piece about a woman who..well... makes a difficult decision to sell her baby. Funny and engaging, the actress, company member Carrie Klypchak, has a blast with the role, and we feel for her and her situation. While I did enjoy other parts of the show, the over all feeling was that this was a mixture of strong and weak selections. Additionally, no need to hit us over the head with the call to action ending...we get it. Collapse

• Media
  Reviews

  • Media Reviews

    There are currently no media reviews for this event.