Review: Taco Town

Review: Taco Town | Miners Alley Performing Arts Center | Golden, CO | Curtain Up! | Eric Fitzgerald

At Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, Taco Town hits the stage with the same unruly spark that made Luke Sorge’s National Bohemians such a standout last season. Sorge pushes deeper into his off‑center world here, shaping a landscape that feels raw, immediate, and unmistakably his. Under Len Matheo’s firm, clear‑driving direction, the production moves with force — a tough, lived‑in vitality that propels the story forward and gives the evening its bold, homegrown swagger.

Sorge’s story centers on a crew of fast‑food workers who’ve simply had enough — not in a grand, ideological way, but in the everyday grind of people pushed past their limit. What begins as a small rebellion against the machinery of corporate indifference quickly grows into a spirited battle of strategy, with each side trying to outmaneuver the other in ever more surprising ways. The result is a piece that blends sharp, quickfire comedy with moments of genuine emotional punch, the kind that catches you off guard even as the momentum keeps building.

Beneath its comic bravado, Taco Town brushes up against weightier currents — the bruising realities of life at home, the fragility of minds under strain, and the uneasy power dynamics that shape the daily dance between supervisors and the people they oversee. Sorge doesn’t belabor these elements; he lets them flicker in and out of the action, giving the play a surprising emotional undertow that sharpens its comedic edge and underscores that the stakes for these characters run deeper than the jokes alone.

The production benefits from an ensemble that brings clear, well‑defined work to the stage, each performer carving out a presence that supports both the script and Matheo’s direction. Brett Mack (Dustin) stands in for the corporate machinery bearing down on the workers — not a villain in a melodramatic sense, but the embodiment of a system that prizes efficiency over humanity. His brusque manner and confrontational stance give the role its bite, and he delivers a firm, grounded performance as the ever‑watchful company enforcer.

Amy Arpan (Trudy) brings a sweet‑natured anxiety to the employee who’s forever striving to stay in management’s good graces, a bundle of nerves and goodwill who’s quick with a hug and terrified of slipping off the radar. Maya Ferrario (Kym), the shift lead and the play’s emotional center, carries the story’s heaviest burden, and she handles those quieter beats with a steady, lived‑in clarity that keeps the real‑time momentum taut. Paola Miranda (Tessa) is a volatile mix of conviction and impulse, always scanning for the moment when the crew might band together and push back. Her intensity and tactical streak give the ensemble an unpredictable spark.

L to R: Amy Arpan, Maya Ferrario, Jysten Atom | Photography credit: McLeod9Creative

Rounding out the company is Jysten Atom (Roddy), who unleashes a remarkable surge of feeling in the second act — a raw, unguarded moment that confirms Atom as one of the most compelling performers working on local stages right now. Ethan Hoover (Isaac) offers a sharply drawn portrait of the well‑meaning college kid angling for a connection with Tessa, only to stumble at every turn; his awkward persistence adds a welcome thread of humor and humanity to the ensemble.

Jysten Atom as Roddy | Photography credit: McLeod9Creative

Len Matheo’s direction once again reveals how closely attuned he is to Luke Sorge’s sensibilities — “symbiotic” isn’t too strong a word for the way their instincts seem to meet in the middle. He’s fully in step with the play’s larger intentions, shaping the evening into a taut, engaging two‑hour ride that feels both purposeful and deeply entertaining. What Matheo offers here is a portrait of exhaustion edged with possibility, a world where desperation and flickers of hope coexist. His staging has a bold, confident sweep to it, the kind of assured touch that keeps the production vibrating with energy from start to finish.

The physical production is anchored by Xander Claypool’s set, a sharply observed recreation of a fast‑food counter and prep area that feels both familiar and faintly claustrophobic — exactly the environment the story demands. Crystal McKenzie outfits the company in the requisite Taco Town gear, a lineup of uniforms and personal touches that quietly reinforce each character’s place in the hierarchy. And Vance McKenzie’s lighting adds to the final layer, shifting the space from fluorescent grind to something more intimate when the story calls for it, guiding the audience through the tonal turns with precision.

Overall, Taco Town is a winning blend of script, direction, and performance — a production where each element reinforces the others with real purpose. The moments of heightened emotional intensity don’t just punctuate the story; they deepen it, giving the evening an unexpectedly resonant charge that makes the experience both illuminating and thoroughly engaging. Taco Town runs through September 13 at Miners Alley Performing Arts Center, offering audiences a night shaped by a strong emotional rhythm and threaded with themes that land with unmistakable force.

For information and tickets: https://minersalley.com/shows/taco-town/