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 Manumission by by Martha Soukup  

OTHER MEDIA 
review in the SF Bay Guardian October 12, 2005
by Lara Shalson
Douglas Eberwein has had it up to here. He's tired of government corruption, the wars being waged in his name, and the general hypocrisy everywhere. So he petitions to be legally divorced from the body politic, and in this cautionary, be-careful-what-you-wish-for tale by Martha Soukup, Douglas gets his wish. Now, it only takes a minute to imagine the problems that such a move would create: the rights and privileges that would disappear, the cruelties one would open oneself up to by becoming nonhuman. And it only takes a second more to notice that abdicating responsibility toward the world, including toward your own family and friends, might actually make you more similar to the powerful forces you mean to reject. Indeed, Douglas isn't terribly likable: He's stubborn, self-centered, and a terrible boss to the only person who remains loyal to him. Still, Douglas's journey is filled with some surprising and funny twists along the way to its inevitable conclusion, and strong performances by the entire Cassandra's Call Productions team make the most of this modern-day fairy tale. (Shalson)
 

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