Dystopia Gardens is rare show that’s born of improvisation, but maintains a dramatic arc as well as any traditionally-written stage work. The subject matter is a demented hybrid of “Dune,” “THX-1138,” Soviet constructivism, and liberation theology, yet it somehow forms the cogent adventures of a clutch of characters in a world farcically based on our own. Writers/performers Jerry Miller and Will Nunziata are versatile talents, shifting from one persona to another in the course of a single scene but never losing the thread of the story. With the preponderance of sci-fi send-up already in the world, it would be easy to dismiss the concept sight unseen, but Miller and Nunziata keep the material fresh and relevant by absolutely committing to the bit, throwing their bodies into each scene with scatalogical and sexual brio. This is an inspired work from two virtuoso performers with enthusiasm and boundless trust in each other.

-William K. Scurry Jr.