What I liked
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
Adam Smith, the narrator, is a charismatic omnipotent. The smartly dressed, unflappable chap is both expectant and forgiving within the confines of the stage, offering little in the way of help to his volunteer save an occasional raised eyebrow. As the puppeteer reading the stage directions he’s more “Hokey Pokey” than “it puts the lotion on its skin,” but at least for this audience member, it’s very easy to make that leap.The dream sequence is delightful, the use of telecommunication sharp, and practical props both set the scene and allow for perceived freedom for the volunteer.
Days later, this work still has me thinking, exploring my own human condition as a woman existing in accordance with societal expectations. And for that, this is an extremely effective piece of inverse performance art. I was moved, challenged, and ultimately haunted.
What I didn't like
While Smith’s interlude gesture work was specific, I’m still racking my brain as to its purpose, other than upstage filler while Woman was completing a given task.
Had I not been there to review, I would have played. But not because I wanted to play, but because I wanted to destroy. Years of busking has made me the worst kind of jaded volunteer, and a situation where the production both celebrates an audience member and leaves them to fend for themselves sets me on fire. My attachment to the volunteer was deep, and I kept waiting for the controller to pull the wrong strings of his puppet, as it were, which says more about me than the production. That moment blissfully never came, but the piece lives somewhere between a perverted Simon Says and an innocent and beautiful invitation to simply exist. The performance I attended felt like a human zoo with a civilized and celebrated main attraction.
The program, which is smartly delivered after the performance, shares a more innocuous intention, and though the volunteer remains on stage of their own accord, it’s hard to imagine a world where, knowing the show is dependent upon them, a woman (Why does it have to be a woman? Who hurt you?) would intentionally desert the situation and let down the production and the audience.
This is, of course, only one [cynical] critic’s perspective, and you should definitely go, experience, and decide for yourself.
My overall impression
Experimental, patient, risky, thrilling. This anthropological theatre piece has the potential to be any level of successful, but to what end? Go see for yourself, then get back to me. Seriously, let’s grab a drink and discuss, because days later, Theatre Show (a play about a woman) is still haunting me.
