"Death Boogie" and "Varieties of Religious Experience" at 59E59 Theatre C/"Le Cabaret Grimm" at the 45th Street Theatre
One in a Stew Two Down the Rabbit Hole “Death Boogie” and “Varieties of Religious Experience” at 59E59 Theater C “Le Cabaret Grimm” at the 45th Street Theatre Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
Lewis Carroll would have been proud. Grace Slick should be proud. Both figure (indirectly to be sure) in the three performances this critic viewed on Saturday July 28: two part of the amazing East to Edinburgh Festival at 59E59 Theaters, one part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival.
Darian Dauchan performed his “Death Boogie” at the East to Edinburgh Festival at 59E59 for one performance on July 28. This well-constructed and challenging spoken word performance piece enjoyed the accompaniment of The Mighty Third Rail. Dauchan’s “Death Boogie” follows the fictional story of the endearing Victor Spartan whose blue collar daytime life counterpoints perfectly his night time dream-state forays into the kind of worker revenge anyone part of the 99% can identify with. If one listens carefully, one can hear Victor rapping a plaintive duet with another fictional character “under the thumb,” namely Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” version of the White Rabbit who protests his harried existence with, “I run and then I hop, hop, hop. I wish that I could fly. There's danger if I dare to stop and here's the reason why: You see, I'm overdue, I'm in a rabbit stew, can't even say "Goodbye", "Hello." I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!” We are, all of us, in a rabbit stew crying out to be welcomed to “the land of change.”
The standout performance of the trio was that of Adam Strauss in his haunting “Varieties of Religious Experience,” in its penultimate performance at the 59E59 East to Edinburgh Festival performance. William James’ “The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature” has always been a favorite of this critic who also enjoys teaching William’s brother Henry’s “What Masie Knew,” also dealing with a study of human nature.
Part guru, shaman, imam, priest, rabbi, massage therapist, and trusted psychedelic vendor of pharmacopeia, Adam Strauss ushers his sometimes bedazzled audience to an experience of mystery and wonder (fro and to) of precious perception.
Strauss bravely discloses his variety of battles with OCD and his performance is sparked by his discovery that mushrooms (i.e., ‘’schrooms” for those with eyes to see and ears to hear) can cure OCD after one “treatment!” However, it does not matter whether anyone in the audience suffers from OCD or not in order to engage with Strauss’ performance. Most have experienced bad and broken relationships, anxiety, a variety of waves that we attempt to keep from breaking over us. We are all hungry for relief from a variety of pain.
We seek that relief, that surcease, that moment of clarity when we can take the deep breath of acceptance of self and survive the ominous wave (which will indeed come). And in that acceptance, we recognize we are on the way to wholeness or brokenness or wholeness in brokenness or brokenness in wholeness – all equally significant symbols of healing and at least momentary well being and perfection. In other words, the ultimate Sholgin Rating Scale of ++++ (Plus Four). Thank you, Adam, for our journey down the rabbit hole: The following is dedicated to you and to all of us on our way to perfection.
“White Rabbit” on Jefferson Airplane’s “Surrealistic Pillow.” Written by Grace Slick in 1966 when she was still with The Great Society. Enjoy!
One pill makes you larger And one pill makes you small And the ones that mother gives you Don't do anything at all Go ask Alice When she’s ten feet tall
And if you go chasing rabbits And you know you're going to fall Tell them a hookah smoking caterpillar has given you the call Call Alice When she was just small
When the men on the chess board get up and tell you where to go And you just had some kind of mushroom And your mind is moving slow Go ask Alice I think she'll know
When logic and proportion Have fallen sloppy dead And the white knight is talking backwards And the Red Queen's "Off with her head!" Remember what the dormouse said
Feed your head Feed your head
Finally, Liars and Believers “Le Cabaret Grimm” presents truths garnered from the Brothers Grimm and their collection of German fables and folk tales. Presented in vaudeville-cabaret-burlesque style, the fables counterpoint the vicissitudes of the human psyche and experience. One wonders why the setting was French rather than German: “Willkommen” seems more appropriate than “Bonjour” when spinning tales from the German countryside and experience. And why were the “boys and girls” so clean with glistening, well-kept costumes? This is gritty, down-and-dirty cabaret, not a fashion show at the mall. That said, all the performers here shine with youthful energy and do their very best to bring human tales of longing, loss, and laughter to life.
In short, “Death Boogie” and “Varieties of Religious Experience” chronicle the deep struggles humankind experiences on the road to “perfection.” “Le Cabaret Grimm,” the second journey down the rabbit hole, re-fables some of the darker bumps we encounter on the way.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Sunday, July 29, 2012
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