Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: NYTW & Theater Mitu’s REMNANT, Alvin Ailey’s REVELATIONS REIMAGINED, and Paul Muldoon’s PLAGUEY HILL

• By drediman
• December 7, 2020
• No Comments

As the 2020 holiday season hits its stride (as much as it can this year), my streaming of performing arts content continues uninterrupted. Here are my latest thoughts.

</REMNANT>
New York Theatre Workshop / Theater Mitu

New York Theatre Workshop’s unconventional fall season continues with a digital reimagining of </remnant> (RECOMMENDED). Co-produced by Theater Mitu and based on interviews culled from a diverse pool of participants, the work is a hypnotic tone poem on the themes of war, loss, and death. Although the piece has been previously mounted for the stage in 2018, this digital version of </remnant> (directed by Rubén Polendo) considerably reconsiders the possibilities of the work in a virtual setting. As if to challenge our notion of time and narrative – both key elements in traditional theater – the digital experience attempt to be both expansive and open-ended, and it largely succeeds. Indeed, those looking for a discernible dramatic arc and meaty character development should probably look elsewhere. Although not immediately gratifying, the work invites you to come to it, offering soulful reflection to those who are open to serious introspection. Although </remnant> advertises itself as being immersive, there are only limited opportunities to interact with work. Fortunately, the thoughtfully designed experience (reminiscent of X Part 1: The Insidious, another recent “immersive” virtual production) draws viewers in nonetheless.

REVELATIONS REIMAGINED
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Undoubtedly, one of the most recognizable and beloved works in 20th century dance is Alvin Ailey’s Revelations, which this year celebrates its landmark 60th anniversary (consider, the work was conceived and conjured in the midst of the civil rights movement). Unfortunately, given that we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, an in-person celebration if this milestone ballet is currently an impossibility. The folks at Alvin Ailey, however, have taken this opportunity to think outside the box, resulting in Revelations Reimagined (RECOMMENDED), a prismatic version of the iconic dance that’s part performance, part film, and part documentary. Altogether, it’s an informative and inspiring tribute to the legacy of this masterpiece. Unsurprisingly, it served as the centerpiece of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s opening night virtual benefit (to launch the company’s “Ailey Forward” virtual season this December), which meant the occasional interjection from company members and sponsors. Although this disrupted the momentous flow of this historic, re-envisioned piece, the uplifting and redemptive power of Revelations nonetheless shined through, as it always does.

PLAGUEY HILL
Irish Repertory Theatre

During the pandemic, I found that I could usually count on the Irish Repertory Theatre’s virtual programming to come through with the equivalent of theatrical comfort food. The company’s latest digital offering, before the anticipated holiday run of Meet Me in St. Louis, was the one-night-only reading of Paul Muldoon’s Plaguey Hill (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED), a short collection of poems documenting the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet’s COVID-19 experience from Sharon Springs, a small town in upstate New York. The last production to physically play Irish Rep’s cosy venue in Chelsea was the stage rendering of Mr. Muldoon’s Incantata (it’s run was actually cut short in March due to the pandemic), which I found intriguing, even mesmerizing. Unfortunately, at just over 20-minutes long, Plaguey Hill – which transposes the current COVID-19 pandemic onto a cholera outbreak in Belfast during the 1830s – is neither satisfying nor fortifying. It’s ambiguous observations of the pandemic come across coldly and unsympathetically, as echoed by the great Liev Schreiber’s deadpan delivery and the dissonance of the jazzy musical accompaniment. All-in-all, the piece seems out of touch with the times we live in.