Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Xandra Nur Clark’s POLYLOGUES sympathetically investigates the merits of polyamorous relationships

• By drediman
• September 23, 2021
• No Comments

This week, Colt Coeur’s production Polylogues by Xandra Nur Clark opened at HERE Arts Center. Written and performed by Ms. Clark, the fascinating one woman show seeks to demystify polyamorous relationships, which have typically flown under the radar in society. To accomplish this, Ms. Clark interviewed and recorded a number of subjects engaged in various forms of these nontraditional romantic arrangements. The show itself is composed of a patchwork of these interviews performed verbatim as the recorded words of the interviewees are directly funneled to Ms. Clark via earbuds.

The show’s setup is not as revolutionary as it may seem; similar documentary or journalistic theater techniques have been used in the works of theater companies like The Civilians and can even be found on Broadway this fall (Lucas Hnath’s Dana H and Tina Satter’s Is This A Room). In fact, HERE’s previous resident Islander pulled off the same kind of hat trick. Nevertheless, Polylogues is compelling theater, and the use of earbuds to directly inform the performance palpably and powerfully brings the interviewees’ authentic voice and presence into the intimate space. Overall, the piece’s exploration – often humorous but always compassionate – of the merits of polyamorous relationships is sympathetic and clear-eyed, as it should be.

As a performing conduit, Ms. Clark is superb. She carries the 80-minute show confidently, shrewdly inhabiting her multiple subjects with grace and uncanny precision, using subtle calibrations to her body language, voice intonation, accent, and facial expression to portray men and women of a wide range of temperaments and backgrounds. The simple but elegant production – which only features a rug, chair, and a wall for projections – has been smartly directed by Molly Clifford, who handles the show’s many transitions elegantly.

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POLYLOGUES
Off-Broadway, Play / In-person
Colt Coeur at HERE Arts Center
1 hour, 20 minutes (without an intermission)
Through October 9