Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Flako’s enlightening and uniquely immersive TAXILANDIA documents a neighborhood in transition

• By drediman
• April 23, 2021
• No Comments

Last night, I received an enlightening and entertaining lesson in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick by way of Taxilandia, an intimate and immersive theatrical experience created and performed by Modesto Flako Jimenez, or just plain old “Flako”. Co-presented by Oye Group (of which Flako is a member), The Bushwick Starr, The Tank, and New York Theatre Workshop, the production is certainly one of the most unique to have emerged from the pandemic. Audiences can engage in the experience in a number of ways – remotely via virtual salons, on foot via text (“Textilandia”), and of course from the roaming vantage point of Flako’s taxicab. Obviously, the most coveted of these experiences is the in-person experience with Flako himself (the ride only accommodates up to three audience members at a time), which I was lucky enough to have participated in.

Soon after you meet the personable, instantly likable Flako at his longtime apartment building on Harman Street, you’ll be invited into the backseat of his cab for a leisurely ride through Bushwick, our host’s neighborhood since childhood. Over the course of a little more than an hour, Flako documents a neighborhood in transition, richly animating not only Bushwick’s fascinating “melting pot” history, but also its various establishments (both current and shuttered), vibrant collection of street art, and colorful inhabitants – but always through the lens of his intensely personal experience as a fully ingrained member of the community. Although Taxilandia‘s patchwork of vignettes are delivered with tremendous pride and affection, Flako’s deep connection to Bushwick also fuels his strong feelings regarding the neighborhood’s ongoing gentrification – and the displacement and erasure that sneakily but inevitably comes with it.

As essentially a theatrical performance within a taxicab, Taxilandia works astonishingly well. Flako seamlessly melds elements of immersive theater (for those curious, the experience is only mildly interactive), poetry, and sound/video installation to dynamically and theatrically shape and editorialize his multi-faceted narrative. The success of the “show” is in no small part due to Flako’s dazzling way with words and overall natural talent as a performer. Despite his indisputably charismatic and engagingly outspoken manner, he thankfully never hand-holds nor sugar-coats his sharply-drawn exposé – you’ll get both the gritty, as well as the endearing sides of Bushwick. In Flako’s unapologetically honest presence, I felt utterly alive and keenly attuned to the dynamics at work in the neighborhood – an awareness I hope to take with me after Taxilandia is long just a fond memory.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

TAXILANDIA
Immersive Theater
Oye Group / The Bushwick Starr / The Tank / New York Theatre Workshop
1 hour, 15 minutes (without an intermission)
Through May 3