“Big, Scary Animals”: A Comedy that Roars with Heartfelt Passions—at Masquers
David Zubiria, Duane Lawrence, Natalie Ford, Joseph Walters, Tristan Rodriguez, and Kim Saunders
Matt Lyle Brings Laughs to Straight & Gay, then Truth Bombs
by Rachel Norby & Barry David Horwitz
Once upon a time, a down-home East Texas ranching couple decided to retire in Dallas. Accidentally, they chose Cedar Springs, the Dallas “Gayborhood.” Then their gay neighbor couple invited them to dinner. Hold on for a wild ride of misunderstandings.
“Big, Scary Animals” is a heartfelt sharing of gender, racial, and cultural traumas between the two couples. The gay couple are Black and Latino to highlight their differences. Director Gabriel A. Ross sets a swift pace for the comic culture clash.
It’s the fall of 2015—what the playbill dubs “a simpler time.” Considering everything from gay marriage to George Floyd, #BLM, and the mass arrest of immigrants, things have certainly changed. But Matt Lyle’s play uses comedy to expose what’s really in people’s hearts.
Joseph Walters, David Zubiria, Duane Lawrence, and Kim Saunders
The beating heart of “Big, Scary Animals” is Kim Saunders’ spot-on portrayal of Rhonda, the eager and cheery wife from East Texas. Saunders embodies the plucky, casserole-wielding mom with such ease that we never doubt Rhonda’s earnest intentions. We feel Rhonda’s determination, her profound desire to be better than her past. And her well of comedy runs deep.
Contributing to the hilarity and profundity of this play is Rhonda’s bolo-tie sporting husband Donald. Joseph Walters’ Donald, a stoic man of the land from old country Texas, has superb comic timing. Like Saunders, his performance is not relegated to the superficial. His stoicism gives way to a moving revelation about his two brothers that makes us want to weep.
In fact, “better than their past” could be the motto of this rich comedy.
Kim Saunders, Joseph Walters, and Tristan Rodriguez
At dinner, debating the difference between “mousse” and “pudding,” they find lots to disagree about. But when the fat hits the griddle, they each have a “Truth Bomb” to deliver that turns their connection topsy-turvy.
On the gay side, David Zubiria plays a funny, campy Clark, flouncing his apron and declaring he’s the “wife,” making fun of the straight couple’s stereotypes. It’s a war of false images that Clark tries to defuse, without much luck.
His husband Marcus, excellently played by Duane Lawrence, is one of two of Sophia’s fathers and delightfully dedicated to his family. Marcus is a college professor, and he is rightfully offended by the ignorant anti-gay and anti-Black remarks. Finally, he must burst out and tell Rhonda what he really thinks!
Kim Saunders, Joseph Walters, David Zubiria, and Duane Lawrence
The comedy turns to dramedy as surprising events unfurl.
Comic complications pile up. Both couples have teenage kids. Clark and Marcus are raising a brilliant, extroverted niece named Sophia. Natalie Ford’s Sophia is superb. Her zany manners play excellently off the straight couple’s “troubled” son Ronnie, played by a cleverly subdued Tristan Rodriguez. The teens hit it off in a deliciously comic vein. We could use more about them.
I wish that Clark and Marcus, like Rhonda and Donald, had had fuller character arcs. Part of what makes the older couple so sympathetic are the stories they share. Their Truth Bombs shower insight and truth, after shocking events come to light.
Come for the rich comedy, stay for the surprising Truth Bombs. Comedy and truth—a great combo.
“Big, Scary Animals” by Matt Lyle, directed by Gabriel A. Ross, light & sound design by Paul Seliga, costumes by Alison Lustbader, set dressing & props by Shay Oglesby-Smith, at Masquers Playhouse, Point Richmond, California.
Info: masquers.org - to September 28, 2025.
Cast: Joseph Walters, Duane Lawrence, Kim Saunders, David Zubiria, Natalie Ford, and Tristan Rodriguez.