| Reviewed by Victor Gluck
Presented by Mystic Theatre at the TriBeCa
Playhouse, 111 Reade Street, NYC Jan 20-29
The stage is set with a sculpture that
resembles a Henry Moore, a huge red circle, a small pile of sand and a
painting on the back wall that suggests a Joan Miro, all designed by Katerina
Fiore. The electronic music by Kurt Vega is startling in this context and
prepares us for something unusual.
Nine actors appear all dressed
in black hooded pullovers, dark slacks, and different solid color T-shirts,
chosen by Susan Matus. They move as animals to choreography created by
Skip Costa.
“Tortoise Shout” is a multimedia
performance piece that has been inspired by the “Tortoise Poems” of D.H.
Lawrence. Interspersed through-out the hour-
long performance are poems by Ted Hughes, Thomas Lynch,
Anne Sexton, Ken Gaertner, Beth Brant, e.e. cummings, Muriel Rukeyser and
Ruth Krauss, all on similar themes: sex, life, nature, love, death.
|
Director Mark Bloom has used techniques that
one associates with the 1960's, but just because one has not seen these
methods lately makes them even more modern and effective.
The visual, aural and poetic
imagery is fresh, mind-expanding, and sensual. This evening of dance/poetry/theatre
is not for everyone but those who follow it will find it inspiring.
The D.H. Lawrence poem,
“Tortoise Shout,” is spoken by the company as a choral reading and built
up, stanza by stanza, until the last rendition, when we hear the complete
poem. Among the memorable solos are Don Arrup’s delineation of Thomas Lynch’s
“That Scream If You Ever Hear It” and Andrea Miskow’s
rendition of “When Man Enters Woman” by Anne Sexton. Two Poems are brilliantly
turned into duologues: Ken Gaertner’s “Anthony’s Desire/Cleopatra’s Awakening”
performed by Victoria Malvagno and Arrup, and Phil Kasper and Lorree True
as “he” and “she” in e.e. cummings’
“May I Feel Said He.” A special and unique evening.
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