Kicking off 2009

Let it be a year of succinct blog posts.

I was deeply disappointed with The Seagull on Broadway, particularly the performances by MacKenzie Crooke who seemed to shout all his lines at the same pitch, and Peter Saarsgaard, who seemed just totally bored out of his mind -- and not appealing at all.

I survived Yoshiko Chuma & Shirotama Hitsujiya's X2. I continue to be astounded by their (collective) audacity.

I have now made three failed attempts to see Witness Relocation's The Blue Bird. My only remaining chance this Friday.

I saw only one show at Under the Radar this year, and that was the bizarre show by the Netherlands' Kassys called LIGA 50% Reward 50% Punishment. The opening film is delightful, tracking a backstage view as one by one, the performers of a show make their exit and greet their director to celebrate how well the show had gone. The reactions vary subtly, but the general feeling is that of relief and elation. Then the performers' parents come out of the green room and begin to slowly zup up their children in their coats and escort them home. Somwhere, we've made a transition in perception. What we at first thought were 'normal' adults have turend out to be somehow mentally/psychologically impaired (autistic?) people. Then the play begins in earnest, rewinding back to the beginning of the show. Each actor makes his/her entrance and interacts with the stage props, audience and each other. We seem to be watching at once some kind of socialization experiment, a performance made of trying to teach 'normal' 'acceptable' behavior, and a reality tv show. At the height of the chaos, one girl begins to disrobe and flaunt herself and others flail about with large cushions, vying for the audiences' attention, until the director finally intervenes and demands that the group create a cohesive event together: a BBQ party.

Though rhythmically the show falters in the middle, and I started to feel like I had been a kindergarten class for about 3 hours (exhausting!) the show was a pretty committed (if shallow) commentary on social/societal acceptance and interaction.