Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: The fall theater season commences digitally with BELFAST BLUES, DUST FROM THE STARS, and KAREN, I AM

• By drediman
• September 28, 2020
• No Comments

Last week, with live performances stilled banned from taking place in New York, the fall theater season nonetheless officially commenced with some unexpectedly inspired digital offerings. Here are my thoughts on three recent streamings.

Eliza Bent in Bentertainment’s production of “Karen, I Am”.

KAREN, I AM
Bentertainment / Sarah McLellan / All For One Solo Shorts

Last week, I partook in Eliza Bent’s offbeat and decidedly defiant new comedy Karen, I Am (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). If you haven’t already guessed from its title, the work is a response to the trending “Karen” phenomenon. That is, the niche reckoning of white, privileged women regarding racial insensitivities; perhaps the most notorious of these was the Central Park incident involving Amy Cooper. What starts off as a self-parody – in the piece, Ms. Bent satirically plays a multitude of feckless white women, all named some variation of “Karen” (e.g., Karyn, Karin, etc.) – eventually expands into a cautionary tale of the perils of constructive conversation at our current juncture. It’s spiky territory (a topic that was also touched on, elegantly, in Richard Nelson’s sublime Incidental Moments of the Day), which Ms. Bent hysterically camouflages with her absurdist, deadpan performance(s). Made specifically for Zoom, the three-part fantasia has a fresh interactive feeling, thanks to its creative use of the platform’s chat bar and insistently inclusionary spirit. Kudos also to director Tara Ahmadinejad, whose collaboration with Ms. Bent has resulted in a wild 45-minute ride that left me bewildered and exhilarated, all the while sneaking in some rather pointed social commentary.

Trey Lyford, Geoff Sobelle, and Steve Cuiffo in “Elephant Room: Dust from the Stars” via the 2020 Philadelphia Fringe Festival.

ELEPHANT ROOM: DUST FROM THE STARS
Philadelphia Fringe Festival

Just as exuberant was the latest work by Elephant Room, a magic-cum-comedy outfit comprised of Trey Lyford, Steve Cuiffo, and Geoff Sobelle (whose Hear Their There Here I recently admired). This virtual Elephant Room sequel, entitled Dust from the Stars (RECOMMENDED) commences as a loopy committee meeting for magicians; after a certain point, however, it transforms into a scrappy but inspired sci-fi adventure (three cheers to director Paul Lazar for giving the piece an giddy sense of wonder). Like Karen, I Am, Dust from the Stars also makes more sophisticated use of Zoom’s interactive features. It embraces the democratic nature of such gatherings, resulting in a virtual performance that comes awfully close to attaining the communal, personalized quality that made actual live performance so intoxicating once upon a time. The Elephant Room trio also possesses the same brand of oddball humor as Ms. Bent, which is not surprising, given that they were all cultivated in the same anything-is-fair-game “fringe” tradition. But unlike Ms. Bent’s comedy, which ultimately (albeit sneakily) seeks to provide serious food for thought, Dust from the Stars simply aims to offer a wacky, action-packed hour of escapism that the whole family can enjoy.

Geraldine Hughes in Irish Repertory Theatre’s production of “Belfast Blues”.

BELFAST BLUES
Irish Repertory Theatre / Brassneck Theatre Company

Lastly, Irish Repertory Theatre’s digital fall season got off to a typically solid start with the streaming of one of the final performances of Geraldine Hughes’ Belfast Blues (RECOMMENDED), which was captured on filmed during the show’s 2019 run at Belfast’s Lyric Theatre (the play enjoyed an earlier New York run at the Culture Project in 2005 under the direction of film and stage actress Carol Kane). The one-woman show tells the autobiographical story of Ms. Hughes’ childhood in Northern Ireland, particularly vis-à-vis the violent Troubles of the 1980s and her brief brush with television stardom. Ms. Hughes is a warm, generous performer, and she quietly but confidently slips into various characters without the flashy pomp that usually accompanies such solo performances. As such, Belfast Blues makes for inviting “fireside” storytelling that’s at once clear-eyed yet deeply rooted in humanity. Although I missed the interactive, whiz-bang aspects that made both Dust from the Stars and Karen, I Am such unexpected delights, you can always count on Irish Rep to deliver the goods. Indeed, there are simpler pleasures to be had with Belfast Blues’ emphasis on truthful storytelling and its unassuming, low-key staging.