Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – A pair of fascinating Off-Off-Broadway shows experiment with theatrical forms: HERE’s THE STORY BOX & Theater Mitu’s UTOPIAN HOTLINE.

• By drediman
• September 13, 2021
• No Comments

This past weekend, I encountered a pair of Off-Off-Broadway shows whose experimentation with theatrical forms fascinated me. Here are my thoughts, as per usual.

THE STORY BOX
HERE Arts Center (various locations)
Through October 9

First up is HERE’s outdoor production of The Story Box (RECOMMENDED), which will be traveling New York’s five Boroughs over the next few weekends (I caught it at the Japan Society in Manhattan). Written and performed by Suzi Takahashi, the one woman show tells the story of Ms. Takahashi’s own family, and their turbulent journey through the years as Japanese Americans. At the same time, the play widens its perspective to educate the audience of our country’s long history of anti-Asian sentiment, primarily with regards to its treatment of Japanese Americans during World War II and the recent increase in Asian hate violence. To enrich this panoramic quilt work, Ms. Takahashi also employs traditional Japanese storytelling techniques (e.g., kamishibai), which introduces an element of cultural reverence to the storytelling. Ms. Takahashi brings a level-headed urgency to her performance, effectively inspiring advocacy for her cause. The production, which has been creatively directed by HERE’s Kristin Marting, uses interactive objects and artifacts like suitcases, numbered tags, and a photo album to help immerse audience members in the unfortunate and often underexposed realities of our country’s past and present as it relates the treatment of its Asian American citizens.

UTOPIAN HOTLINE.
Theater Mitu
Through September 26

This weekend, I also got to venture out to Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood to attend Theater Mitu’s devised production of Utopian Hotline (RECOMMENDED). Although the piece is inspired by messages intended for extraterrestrial beings (via NASA’s launch of the twin Voyager spacecrafts in 1977) and the future (via the telephone hotline specifically created by Theater Mitu for this production), the work itself turns around and challenges our very concept of the universe, including the notion of the “future” and therefore time itself. In doing so, the show turns out quite differently from what I was expecting. Instead of focusing on the substance of the aforementioned messages, the piece takes a big step back to look at the larger picture from the broadest comprehendible standpoint. The show’s presentation is both elaborate and decidedly avant-garde, weaving elements of spoken word, song, subtle choreography, sonic technology (audience members wear headphones throughout), and projection design into an immersive tapestry that’s soothing and contemplative. The installation-like production, which has been staged meticulously by director Rubén Polendo, is performed by a cast of four women with cool precision and deadpan grace. Although the performance lasts only 45 minutes, the work doesn’t feel in the least slight, most likely due to the expansive nature of its musings.