Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In THE FOLLOWING EVENING, 600 Highwaymen and Talking Band contemplate the ephemerality of theater (and life itself)

• By drediman
• February 7, 2024
• No Comments

Last night, 600 Highwaymen and Talking Band’s co-production of The Following Evening opened at one of the latest additions to New York’s robust collection of performing arts venues — the hyper-flexible Perelman Performing Arts Center (“PAC NYC” for short) in the Financial District. Written and directed by 600 Highwayman’s Abigail Browde and Michael Silverstone for Talking Band — which this year celebrates its landmark 50th anniversary — the collaboration between these two indispensable experimental theater companies is in essence a meditation on the ephemeral nature of theater and, by extension, life itself.

At the heart of the piece are two theater-making couples — the aforementioned Browne and Silverstone, as well as Talking Band’s Ellen Maddow and Paul Zimet. Separated by at least a generation, the two couples share their experiences creating theater — at times in parallel, and at other times intersecting with each other’s narratives. Despite the time that separates their experiences, both invariably reflect upon the nature of memory, the process of growing older, and the ever-changing city that inspired their respective artistic pursuits (theatrically enhancing these musings is the work of sound designers Avi Amon and Ryan Gamblin and lighting designer Eric Southern). Indeed, in many ways, the work is just as much a love letter to New York as it is to the alchemy of theater. The end result is akin to listening to the elegantly harmonious — albeit bittersweet — playing of a string quartet.

In execution, The Following Evening is a stealthily layered presentation that makes ample usage of gestural choreography. Despite the intentionally unaffected cadence of the performances, the production ultimately registers soulfully, even mournfully as an elegy for moments that are continually slipping away and a wistful commemoration of storied days gone by. It’s a thoughtful way to kick off Talking Band’s 50th anniversary season, which continues later this month at La MaMa with the aptly titled Existentialism, staged by the legendary Anne Bogart and once again features the resilient pairing of Ellen Maddow and Paul Zimet.

RECOMMENDED

THE FOLLOWING EVENING
Off-Broadway, Play
Perelman Performing Arts Center
1 hour, 20 minutes (without an intermission)
Through February 18