YAAKOV BRESSLER
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THEATRE REVIEWS

my perspective on shows i've seen.
unsplash-logoPhoto by Kilyan Sockalingum

SPACEMAN: TETHERED TO A DREAM

3/1/2019

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Spaceman takes you on an outer space journey on board the Aeneas, a spacecraft headed to mars. Manning the craft is the Aeneas’ lone passenger, astronaut Molly Jennis (played by Erin Treaday) – a confident and highly likable scientist who has become homesick in her now 7 months of solitary travel.
Erin Treaday as an astronaut in a spacecraft to mars. Contains bright lights and space travel.
Photo by ClintonBPhotography
The monotony of space travel (everything is running normal) is juxtaposed with immediate panicky moments of when things could be collapsing (a blown out chip, for example) showing how mentally demanding Molly’s job really is. In an emotional moment, Molly tells us (paraphrased) “It’s so strange. I have so much time and don’t know what to do with all of it. Then suddenly, my life is in danger and another 5 seconds would save me.” From this, we begin to understand and sympathize with Molly’s struggle with staying positive and in control of her emotional state.
 
Inauspiciously, Molly’s colleagues in Houston are toxic misogynists who need her to act a certain way because of corporate interests. They require that she record herself in her craft so they can broadcast the journey and earn more funding. As one would assume, they don’t return her requests for a broadcast of televised sports – “to keep the bandwidths open for mission specific data.” That imbalance of give and take sets the tone for the environment in which Molly has to overcome.
Picture
Photo by ClintonBPhotography
​On top of this, we learn that Molly’s ex-husband died while on a similar space mission when he had gone out for a spacewalk without his tether. The chance of finding him, floating around in space haunts her in her solitude.
 
The extent of Molly’s toxic environment is contextualized when Molly dons her spacesuit which is covered in corporate sponsors’ logos. It is then that the audience is beckoned to question whether Molly is better off untethering herself from her relationship with Earth entirely and manning her mission on her own.
 
In contrast to Molly’s mission, her personal journey takes place in the depths of her psych. Treaday’s riveting performance has the audience gripping their chairs and wiping their tears as she faces every doubt she’s ever had in her expedition to the red planet.
Picture
Photo by Russ Rowland
Written by Leegrid Stevens, directed by Jacob Titus, and produced by the Loading Dock Theatre, Spaceman delves into the struggles of hope and control and how either can tether us to dreams. If you enjoy powerful theater about strong people being brought to their knees (and science, and space travel), I recommend you go see it.

​Spaceman is playing until March 9, 2019 at the Wild Project in the East Village. Tickets are $20–$30.
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THE TALMUD – RABBINIC METHOD MEETS KUNG FU

1/13/2019

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Presented by Meta-Phys Ed, THE TALMUD is a genre-bending performance based on the Talmud and Kung-Fu films about the transmission of ancient traditions and sacred wisdom across generations; from teacher to student and master to disciple
Meta-Phys Ed.’s
Meta-Phys Ed.’s "The Talmud" A performance based on the a 5th century Rabbinic text and Kung-Fu films. Photo by Jenny Sharp.
The experimental theatre production of ​THE TALMUD takes a deep dive into the layers of talmudic text and its symbolic interplay of dance, fight, and aerobatics common to Kung Fu archetypes. Jesse Freedman's directing masters the balance of these seeming incomparable genres into a smooth aerobatic dance with a wide range of movements, mediums, and words.

Multiple veil-like drapes capture projections while passing them through to the drapes behind them, creating a secondary and sometimes tertiary display of a single image or text. Moreover, these images are often times livestreams from cameras adhered to cast members in the story gesturing to the inward circular and repetitive behavior of Rabbinic reasoning and suggesting a scale of fathomability. In contrast, the presence and self-aware nature of Kung Fu movements and transitions gestures towards a contrast of present applicability. Together, the two mediums offer a narrative of juxtaposing themes – perhaps suggesting contradictions within the behaviors of the Talmudic scripture.

The cast, played by Hui-Shan Yong, Lucie Allouche, Sean Devare, and Zixin Liu (plus Lu Liu on the Pipa) offer a vibrant ensemble of argument and conflict, balanced within the scope of camaraderie. Their acting suggests that perhaps the arguments entailed in the Talmud are just sport – much like a fight club practicing King Fu. However, these conflicts can turn deadly, forcing individuals to take sides and enact violence.

As a whole, the interplay of various narrative mediums within THE TALMUD takes you into a deep headspace, very much like a drug – a theme in Meta Phys-Ed's previous  show WAKE...SING...(2018)​. Though the show has already closed, I would recommend you see it if you want to see something explorative, bizarre, contradictory yet harmonious, and multi-medium.

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