What I liked
I ’ve waited five days before I could even write this review, but here goes:
I liked not knowing what was going to happen once I got to the Apt. I was nervous, scared, because I know these people, probably too well. So in my mind I kept trying to separate that knowledge from the experience, but it was hard as FUCK. I know personally, sometimes your performance changes depending on the audience. Some audiences drains your energy so much and others give you energy. When it is just one audience member…where does a performer draw the line on performing as written (or conceived as is the case here) and performing from the heart because of personal experience with an audience member? I could not tell. For me, that is what made this experience, that is what fucked me up in the head the most and I loved every minute of “that.”
But back to the beginning, I was greeted with a hearty “thanks for being on time,” which made me feel like a superstar audience member.
This is tough with out giving anything away, but I will spoil this much here because I have seen mention of it in advertising. When I was given the tea, I felt like the time my body was filled with iodine. That experience was one I will never forget. Although the tea didn’t burn me up inside, it did put me in a similar mindset, which prepared me for anything to happen, and the unknown to happen.
Next, to not know where I am going, or being led, added to my amazing mind-fuck. When I could see where I was finally, there was silence. There was fear. I was scared, because I couldn’t stop thinking that I was going to get my ass kicked, and I would have definitely let that happen. There was sadness and connection before the character even began to speak. Again, it’s so tough to separate, trying to feel for the character, and wanting to feel for the actor. Like I said before, I know this person, and I am, by trade, a helper. I wanted to help. But who did I want to help? That confusion, those feelings, making me question that during an experience like this, speaks to the brilliance of the “art.”
Next, things got even more real. Somehow I began to feel guilty, as If I was the person responsible for so much, and I couldn’t stop the real life, things I have experienced similarly, separate from this event, from sneaking back into my mind. Maybe I will write another review once the fringe is over, because I risk giving things away but, the final moments…LITERAL MIND-FUCK! To this day, I don’t know why it happened. I am not even sure that I want to know.
This is a visceral, concrete, moving, legit, poignant performance by Keight Lane. What is going on in the mind of Annie Lesser? I want to be inside of her brain for one second.
This is the stuff I wanted to do since I began studying directing and writing, but Annie has had the balls to do it. And do it in a ground-breaking way that resembles the likes of Grotowski, Brecht, Chekov, the Open and Living Theatre and Miranda, just to name a few.
What I didn't like
This was tough because so much worked in this piece and things that I didn’t like had to do more with me than the actual piece.
I didn’t like that I was not more responsive. I give off the vibe that I am not enjoying the experience. I have learned to be in the experience and just let it absorb. I experienced this piece more eternally and I have learned to keep the deepest emotions deep inside.
I wish I could have been there longer. I wish that the character spoke to me for a longer period of time. Also, everything the way it was set-up was perfect, so again, more of these comments have to do with how I responded and how I felt.
I wish that I wasn’t so in my head and I could enjoy this piece more afterwards, instead of having a lot of questions. But being in my head speaks to the brilliance of the art-form, so again, I guess I am not comfortable with how (A)apartment 8 made me feel because I was taught to not feel this way. But, I love it all…
My overall impression
Phew, now that I got through that, I said this before,
(A)apartment 8 is the must-see event of HFF16.
