Though both of the two pieces I saw over the weekend invoked the names of heroes from ancient Greek times, the two could not be more completely diametrically opposed.
On Friday I accompanied Alanna to see the Butane Group's
Operation Ajax (a game of skill and chance) with some trepidation. Simply because this was the first time I was seeing Noel's work (who also created/directed the
Chomsky show) from the outside. Constructed in chapters from over 20 text sources, Ajax tells the story of the 1953 CIA-led coup that brought down the democratically elected secular Iranian government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, setting in motion a course of events resulting in the current religion-based government of Iran and the big mess of international politicking/warring/economics that have the American Empire all twisted around today. The visually sparse show took place in a white corner room with large windows with views of the cityscape on the 13th floor in a midtown building, with only a casino table and a barstool for a set. The play was thankfully surprisingly lucid in educating the audience to the key players of events of and surrounding Operation Ajax, but beyond the history lesson, the piece was most successful and exciting when the scenes of dramatic interaction between characters and inner monologues were juxtaposed with another set of rules. For example, CIA agent Kermit Roosevelt (played by the ever-watchable Jay Smith) and the Shah of Iran discussing the overthrow of PM Mossadegh was played as a delicate seduction scene, underneath the casino table. And the found confessional text of a compulsive gambler interwoven with Kermit's monologue about climbing up the CIA ladder. These layered compositions offered a refreshing respite from the dogmatic dialogue which portrayed characters as two-dimensionally good or evil -- after all, the most engaging characters are those who embody contradiction. The climax of Op Ajax was similar to that of the Chomsky show: a seemingly never-ending litany of overt and covert CIA operations since Operation Ajax, rattled off by the ensemble with increasing intensity and accompanied by hand gestures as Kermit ceaselessly circled the parameter of the room clockwise, to terrifying and hypnotic effect. Despite the unevenness of the show and performances, it was great to see Noel's mind and vision at work in representing such complex materials, especially for a history dummy like me.
And last night, believe it or not, Irwin and I made it to the opening weekend of
300 based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, filmed entirely on set. I would argue that though the film made every possible choice to retain the sensibility and aesthetics of Miller's novel, the lush live-action eye-candy cannot really convey the simplicity & beauty of frames on a page. What did work? The slow-fast motion battle sequences and lighting effects. Epic has never been so distilled: the heroic are heroic, the treacherous are treacherous, the ugly are ugly, and ladies are all about the nipples. The rest, well I don't need to even detail them in complete sentences. Thousands of yards of heavy blood-red fabric, metal weaponry, and leather straps to showcase a hundred waxed and oiled male torsos with rippling pecs and 6-packs. Honor, deception, obstacles, loyalty, humans trying their hand at being divine. and lots and lots of testosterone. Did I mention the pecs?
On Friday I accompanied Alanna to see the Butane Group's Operation Ajax (a game of skill and chance) with some trepidation. Simply because this was the first time I was seeing Noel's work (who also created/directed the Chomsky show) from the outside. Constructed in chapters from over 20 text sources, Ajax tells the story of the 1953 CIA-led coup that brought down the democratically elected secular Iranian government of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, setting in motion a course of events resulting in the current religion-based government of Iran and the big mess of international politicking/warring/economics that have the American Empire all twisted around today. The visually sparse show took place in a white corner room with large windows with views of the cityscape on the 13th floor in a midtown building, with only a casino table and a barstool for a set. The play was thankfully surprisingly lucid in educating the audience to the key players of events of and surrounding Operation Ajax, but beyond the history lesson, the piece was most successful and exciting when the scenes of dramatic interaction between characters and inner monologues were juxtaposed with another set of rules. For example, CIA agent Kermit Roosevelt (played by the ever-watchable Jay Smith) and the Shah of Iran discussing the overthrow of PM Mossadegh was played as a delicate seduction scene, underneath the casino table. And the found confessional text of a compulsive gambler interwoven with Kermit's monologue about climbing up the CIA ladder. These layered compositions offered a refreshing respite from the dogmatic dialogue which portrayed characters as two-dimensionally good or evil -- after all, the most engaging characters are those who embody contradiction. The climax of Op Ajax was similar to that of the Chomsky show: a seemingly never-ending litany of overt and covert CIA operations since Operation Ajax, rattled off by the ensemble with increasing intensity and accompanied by hand gestures as Kermit ceaselessly circled the parameter of the room clockwise, to terrifying and hypnotic effect. Despite the unevenness of the show and performances, it was great to see Noel's mind and vision at work in representing such complex materials, especially for a history dummy like me.
And last night, believe it or not, Irwin and I made it to the opening weekend of 300 based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, filmed entirely on set. I would argue that though the film made every possible choice to retain the sensibility and aesthetics of Miller's novel, the lush live-action eye-candy cannot really convey the simplicity & beauty of frames on a page. What did work? The slow-fast motion battle sequences and lighting effects. Epic has never been so distilled: the heroic are heroic, the treacherous are treacherous, the ugly are ugly, and ladies are all about the nipples. The rest, well I don't need to even detail them in complete sentences. Thousands of yards of heavy blood-red fabric, metal weaponry, and leather straps to showcase a hundred waxed and oiled male torsos with rippling pecs and 6-packs. Honor, deception, obstacles, loyalty, humans trying their hand at being divine. and lots and lots of testosterone. Did I mention the pecs?
2 comments:
AO Scott's review of 300 in the Times last week was really HILARIOUS!
http://movies2.nytimes.com/2007/03/09/movies/09thre.html?ref=movies
Ha ha! pretty funny. "The Persians, pioneers in the art of facial piercing, have vastly greater numbers — including ninjas, dervishes, elephants, a charging rhino and an angry bald giant — but the Spartans clearly have superior health clubs and electrolysis facilities." Yeah I kept thinking about all the chest and back hair that must have been removed. They could probably knit a hundred sweaters out of Spartan chest hair to keep the orphaned Persian children warm.
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