Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The Flea re-emerges with ARDEN, a shamanistic cleansing ritual for a troubled theater company

• By drediman
• February 16, 2022
• No Comments

This past weekend, I ventured down to The Flea to catch Arden: But Not Without You. The production marks the return to in-person performance for the adventurous Off-Broadway theater company, which during the pandemic nearly buckled under the weight of internal disputes. Thankfully, The Flea has re-emerged a more focused company, repurposing its efforts going forward to presenting and championing works by Black, Brown, and Queer artists. Arden is the first of this new crop of productions.

Conceived and devised by Peter Born, Diana Oh, Okwui Okpokwasili, Niegel Smith (The Flea’s artistic director) and Carrie Mae Weems, Arden is more a shamanistic cleansing ritual than your typical narrative-driven play. Indeed, with its stretches of improvisation and its dreamlike, stream-of-conscious quality, the show – with its heady, free-flowing mix of music, spoken word, and movement inspiring serious inward reflection – falls squarely in the realm of avant-garde “downtown” theater. Given the recent events that have transpired within the theater company, Arden seems specially designed to consecrate the space and exorcise the theater of its demons as it starts a fresh chapter.

The production has been organically co-directed by Mr. Smith (who also directed The Hang, Taylor Mac and Matt Ray’s stunning queer jazz opera that’s currently wrapping up performances at HERE) and Nia Witherspoon, who make sure that the piece unfolds in an inclusive manner. Because of the safe, cocoon-like environment they’ve created, the elements of audience interaction come off naturally and with minimal awkwardness. The diverse cast of nine – most prominently featuring Mr. Smith and the singular Ms. Oh – deliver performances that come from a place of authenticity, and each brings something uniquely their own to the table. Although parts of Arden may seem a tad precious, I welcomed the chance to partake in the communal catharsis offered by the unique performance piece.

RECOMMENDED

ARDEN: BUT NOT WITHOUT YOU
Off-Broadway, Performance
The Flea
1 hour, 20 minutes (without an intermission)
Through March 6