My urban high school students would have issues with “You Are in an Open Field.” They would not dislike it; they would just resist it. I, on the other hand, embraced this quirky musical which opened on May 3 at HERE. Is the difference in my students’ response and my response one of aesthetics or of gaming sophistication? The difference is: my students do not want to transition to a game-less existence. I have made that journey and prefer to remain in as game-free an environment as possible.
The show’s title refers to a line from “Zork,” one of the first (1977 – 1979) interactive computer games. According to the “Zork Trilogy Instruction Manual” the computer game is set in "the ruins of an ancient empire lying far underground." The player is a nameless adventurer "who is venturing into this dangerous land in search of wealth and adventure." The goal is to return from the "Great Underground Empire" alive with the treasures, ultimately inheriting the title of Dungeon Master.
The creators and cast of “You Are in an Open Field” use the computer game as a trope (in this case, an extended metaphor) for the possible escape from the ruins of the twenty-first century to a utopia free of the catalogue of games that have all but anesthetized humankind: greed; war; racism; sexism; homophobia (and on and on and on).
Under Christopher Dippel’s direction, this trope works with success most of the time. Kevin R. Free and the performance’s co-creators Eevin Hartsough, Marta Rainer, and Adam Smith, work hard on stage with the Carl Riehl’s live hip hop band to seduce the audience into their vision of a saner, kinder future. Sometimes lacking is the kind of connection between them which would clinch the audience’s belief in their worthy cause: the final reboot into the new adventure.
Near the end of the musical, Kevin shares the vision of this adventure: “When I take a step into the world to make my own adventure, my reward is in the stepping and not in some hidden treasure. Protagonist, antagonist: both live inside of me. Still in each new quest I learn that my treasure isn’t free.” This is something worth believing in.
Whichever open field we ultimately choose – our own open field or some Zork-inspired game field – we will all transition to whatever afterlife we imagine through some electronic portal: morphine pump; dialysis machine; respirator; cryogenic pod. And all of these will be programmable by some game master, some boss, replete with LED lights and (electronic sounds.) And all of this will transport us ultimately through sounds of silence into new open fields where there will be no tears, no crying, no beeps, no need to reboot or re-start. All we will need to do is “be” in a timeless, spaceless, open field. The kind of game we should be playing while we are still here. The kind of game the Neo-Futurists envision and construct on stage at HERE.
The show is written by Kevin R. Free, Eevin Hartsough, Marta Rainer and Adam Smith. Music by the Neo-Futurists' frequent collaborator Carl Riehl who will be leading a live hip hop band. Christopher Dippel directs.
YOU ARE IN AN OPEN FIELD begins performances on Thursday, April 26 for a limited engagement through Saturday, May 19. The performance schedule is Thursday – Saturday at 7 PM, with added performances on Monday, April 30; Wednesday, May 9; Monday, May 14; and Wednesday, May 16 all at 7 PM. Press Opening is Thursday, May 3 at 7 PM. The regular ticket price is $18. Performances are at HERE (145 6th Avenue, enter on Dominick, one block south of Spring Street). For tickets, which will be on sale beginning on March 19, call Ovation Tix on 212-352-3101 or visit here.org. For more information, visit www.nynf.org.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Saturday, May 5, 2012
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