Theater reviewer Nona Nelson is bullish about the latest Mill Mountain Theatre/Hollins Playwright’s Lab production, “The Matador.” Have you seen it? Do you agree with her review? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Linear plot fans need not shy away from absurdist ‘Matador’
By Nona Nelson

The experience of absurdist theater is similar to viewing abstract art. Appreciation will be based on the emotions the work inspires and each patron will take away a different perspective from the piece.

“The Matador” — a one-act play written by Robert Plowman and directed by Todd Ristau now in production on the Waldron Stage of Mill Mountain Theatre — is an entertaining, funny and poignant work of abstract art that will likely touch each theatergoer in a different way.

A sparsely decorated stage becomes a small, surreal world containing four characters: A resplendent matador, a bull in boxing shorts, a femme fatale reporter and a boy from the slums.

The characters orbit one another around the stage, reciting rapid-yet-lyrical dialogue that is often laugh-out-loud funny. Within each character is a different struggle.

The bull and the matador battle in the public arena, each relying on the other for relevance, while also battling inner demons. Both the man and the beast vie for the attention of the woman. The child seeks a hero, someone in which he can place his trust and hope for himself and his family.

Click here to read the rest of the review.

The Matador
Where: Mill Mountain Theater’s Waldron Stage, 20 E. Church St., Roanoke
When: Tonight, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m.
Cost: $10
Contact: 556-5396 or www.millmountain.org