Rogue Machine’s production of “MilkMilkLemonade” is a heartwarming and hilarious play written by Joshua Conkel. It’s about an 11-year-old named Emory who’s looking to break out of his small town in Middle America and take his stick ribbon routine off the farm and become a contestant on “Star Search.” He lives in the shadows of the sprawling retail metropolis called Malltown with his chain-smoking, terminally ill grandmother harvesting chickens for consumption.

Emory doesn’t have very many friends and is bullied in school for acting too “girly” but does draw strength from two women in particular. One happens to be a depressed, looked over chicken named Linda who puts the other chickens to shame with her stand-up routine à la Andrew Dice Clay and Starleen, a plastic doll that Emory’s grandmother refuses to let him keep for fear that it contributes to his lack of masculinity.

Emory attends the local elementary school but is reluctant of his schooling because of the boys’ penchant for haranguing him about his soft personality. A neighboring wild child, pyromaniac and classmate named Elliot isn’t much help. When Elliot isn’t chastising Emory along with the other boys on the playground, he’s weaving outlandish scenarios with Emory on the farm in a game of “house” that Emory’s grandmother probably wouldn’t approve of.

From the outside, these two seem more like total and complete opposites, but on the farm they’re able to coexist and play very intricate roles in their childlike version of house, complete with delusions of a prom they have yet to attend and children that probably couldn’t be born of these two young boys. Either way, outside of school, these two seemingly exist well together, that is when Elliot’s parasitic twin isn’t commanding him to do something evil, which could break the balance in the boys balance of good and pure (Emory) and dark and foreboding (Elliot).

“MilkMilkLemonade” is a great stage production for those who enjoy letting their imaginations run wild and also for those who need help letting loose. Those feeling will subside, and you’ll be relieved you finished that chapter!



Rogue Machine Theatre is located at 5041 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. For more information, visit roguemachinetheatre.com.