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Getting Raw: The Live Arts’ On Stage offerings get ugly in the best way.
It may be called Musical Theater, but as I’ve said before, at the Live Arts and the Philly Fringe, do you ever get what you expect? Richard Maxwell will turn you on your ear and make you question everything you would have liked to think about humanity. His latest production is not your familiarly happy scenario of boy meets girl… Often, in his work, Maxwell depicts a stark reality on Novocain. In highly charged emotional situations, we would often like to think we would act rationally. But in this show, passions get trapped in a pressure cooker and explode in actions that no human being could be proud of, nor could they deny the urge to commit. Exploiting the primitive rituals of men, Caveman (pg 13) forces the audience to witness the less attractive side of human interaction. Watching Maxwell’s work is never easy, but we’re not coming to see work at these Festivals for a simple theatrical experience. If you missed Showcase this past weekend, there is still hope for you to get your much-needed dose of Richard Maxwell. So, suck it up and take your medicine like a man. Caveman opens September 9th and runs through the 11th at the Arden’s Haas Stage.
Dawn Falato’s, St. Anthony’s Body (pg 36) should also be no piece of cake. This skill-full physical performer delves into the mind of those suffering from neurological disorders and introduces us to Claire, a women struggling to regain control of her body after an infection decimates her nervous system. Using movement, mask, and puppetry, this Hotel Obligato founder, is capable of taking the audience on a difficult but rewarding journey. She’s a powerful performer in a small venue, so she may blow the roof off Mum Puppettheatre’s intimate space. This also means you should get tickets ahead of time, as a Philadelphia favorite, she may sell out by the end of her run.
WHAT HAS PIG IRON DONE THIS TIME? WWII melo-dramas, one-man shows in Spanish, puppetry with metal shards, Cabaret’s in insane asylums…just when you think they’ve done it all, Pig Iron Theatre Company comes back and knocks you on your bum. Teaming up with Adriano Shaplin, the fierce writer for The Riot Group, Pig Iron pommels us with a dirty, dirty adaptation of Witold Gombrowicz’s gothic thriller, The Possessed. I saw a workshop showing of Hell Meets Henry Halfway (pg 33) earlier in the summer and this is no warm and fuzzy clown dance. Co-Artistic director and performer, Dito van Reigersburg explains that it’s a bit of a departure for Pig Iron, “It’s funny.... It’s nasty…It’s delightfully nasty”. That’s what I like to hear! He explains that people who think they know Pig Iron will be pleasantly surprised with this new direction. As a previous collaborator with Pig Iron, I can tell you that you will see some surprising performances from the familiar faces of the company members. You will squirm and squeal with delight and disgust, as you should while attending the Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe.
Don’t forget to get your tickets now for the Rude Machanicals while the weather’s a little cooler as the third floor of Christ Church can get steamy. How Late It Was, How Late (pg 31) runs until the 12th. Don’t be the one who missed this cutting-edge company while they were in town.
Sabooge Theatre’s physical tale of a mutated child and his twisted relationship with his mother closes tonight at Mum Puppettheatre. If that synopsis of Fathom doesn’t peak your interest, I might as well stop right now.
But I won’t!
There are more productions in the Festivals that should be beautifully hard to swallow! In Black Palace Pink Party, you can promenade through a party with a sexy Satan worshiper. It’s the latest f-you from Reliant Projects who perfectly disturbed audiences in 2000 with Bell and Clock. Hide the children, cause they’re back to party.
And The Guided Tour will show you the corners of Philadelphia where the carriages just don’t go. If you think you know Philly, Kaibutsu will show you otherwise. Definitely take your out-of town friends but again, space is limited so get your tickets soon. It’s been consistently selling out.
Word of the day: SQUIRM
Your ex-administrator,
Lee Ann Etzold
It may be called Musical Theater, but as I’ve said before, at the Live Arts and the Philly Fringe, do you ever get what you expect? Richard Maxwell will turn you on your ear and make you question everything you would have liked to think about humanity. His latest production is not your familiarly happy scenario of boy meets girl… Often, in his work, Maxwell depicts a stark reality on Novocain. In highly charged emotional situations, we would often like to think we would act rationally. But in this show, passions get trapped in a pressure cooker and explode in actions that no human being could be proud of, nor could they deny the urge to commit. Exploiting the primitive rituals of men, Caveman (pg 13) forces the audience to witness the less attractive side of human interaction. Watching Maxwell’s work is never easy, but we’re not coming to see work at these Festivals for a simple theatrical experience. If you missed Showcase this past weekend, there is still hope for you to get your much-needed dose of Richard Maxwell. So, suck it up and take your medicine like a man. Caveman opens September 9th and runs through the 11th at the Arden’s Haas Stage.
Dawn Falato’s, St. Anthony’s Body (pg 36) should also be no piece of cake. This skill-full physical performer delves into the mind of those suffering from neurological disorders and introduces us to Claire, a women struggling to regain control of her body after an infection decimates her nervous system. Using movement, mask, and puppetry, this Hotel Obligato founder, is capable of taking the audience on a difficult but rewarding journey. She’s a powerful performer in a small venue, so she may blow the roof off Mum Puppettheatre’s intimate space. This also means you should get tickets ahead of time, as a Philadelphia favorite, she may sell out by the end of her run.
WHAT HAS PIG IRON DONE THIS TIME? WWII melo-dramas, one-man shows in Spanish, puppetry with metal shards, Cabaret’s in insane asylums…just when you think they’ve done it all, Pig Iron Theatre Company comes back and knocks you on your bum. Teaming up with Adriano Shaplin, the fierce writer for The Riot Group, Pig Iron pommels us with a dirty, dirty adaptation of Witold Gombrowicz’s gothic thriller, The Possessed. I saw a workshop showing of Hell Meets Henry Halfway (pg 33) earlier in the summer and this is no warm and fuzzy clown dance. Co-Artistic director and performer, Dito van Reigersburg explains that it’s a bit of a departure for Pig Iron, “It’s funny.... It’s nasty…It’s delightfully nasty”. That’s what I like to hear! He explains that people who think they know Pig Iron will be pleasantly surprised with this new direction. As a previous collaborator with Pig Iron, I can tell you that you will see some surprising performances from the familiar faces of the company members. You will squirm and squeal with delight and disgust, as you should while attending the Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe.
Don’t forget to get your tickets now for the Rude Machanicals while the weather’s a little cooler as the third floor of Christ Church can get steamy. How Late It Was, How Late (pg 31) runs until the 12th. Don’t be the one who missed this cutting-edge company while they were in town.
Sabooge Theatre’s physical tale of a mutated child and his twisted relationship with his mother closes tonight at Mum Puppettheatre. If that synopsis of Fathom doesn’t peak your interest, I might as well stop right now.
But I won’t!
There are more productions in the Festivals that should be beautifully hard to swallow! In Black Palace Pink Party, you can promenade through a party with a sexy Satan worshiper. It’s the latest f-you from Reliant Projects who perfectly disturbed audiences in 2000 with Bell and Clock. Hide the children, cause they’re back to party.
And The Guided Tour will show you the corners of Philadelphia where the carriages just don’t go. If you think you know Philly, Kaibutsu will show you otherwise. Definitely take your out-of town friends but again, space is limited so get your tickets soon. It’s been consistently selling out.
Word of the day: SQUIRM
Your ex-administrator,
Lee Ann Etzold
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