pool (no water) by Mark Ravenhill

pool (no water) Review by Pauline Adamek. ***This review first appeared on www.ArtsBeatLA.com *** I had heard raves from my fellow critics about this show, so my expectations were reasonably high. Alas, those expectations were dashed by a play that had its merits (the incisive storyline was excellent) but was largely tedious to endure. Way too much yelling going on, methinks. The much-touted movement aspect of the piece was well synched to the text but left this critic cold. I spent a lot of my time watching the mirrored images screened upstage, but some were ill-chosen, poorly rendered and eventually became repetitious. Some of that art was wonderful, though. Basically, this was a show I enjoyed more upon reflection than... full review

A friend suggested this production and I'm glad I got the experience. From the first images and spot-on costume for the artist who "made" it, I was totally riveted. The story made me question experience of life vs art and everything in-between. Ultimately, however, it made me question what the creators think of artists as a whole. Except in very rare cases when characters barely considered acting civil for a split second before indulging in selfish, drug and unhappiness-fueled actions, everyone came off as nothing more than a stereotype. It just left a weird taste in my mouth even as the storytelling was well done and exciting.... full review