By Bill Hirschman
Reviewing absurdist theater invariably contains landmines.
Even when the play is executed well, even when it reflects the precise intent of artists involved, it is difficult to know when, in fact, that the play was well-executed, even whether that’s a legitimate yardstick to apply.
Art Duty, a work passionately delivered with brimming enthusiasm by the LakeHouseRanchDotPng troupe in Miami Lakes, appears to be – at least in this subjective assessment – intermittently insightful and vague, deliberate and manic, entertaining and frustratingly undisciplined.
It’s impossible to demand precision and clarity from self-described absurdist art combined with Lakehouse’s simultaneous mission to meld it with experimental style and political overtones. But Daniel Prillaman’s script lacks an easily discernible thematic through line, not that you seek a traditional plot, but a unifying vision.
And while any work of theater is perceived through the prism of the viewers’ individual lens, this is not abstract art like Jackson Pollack or Mark Rothko whose reception is totally open to unrestricted visceral reactions. This critic tried desperately to connect the dots. At some point, we wondered if the artists’ aim was for you to connect the dots. Perhaps not.
We’re guessing that this is about the nature of Art, its relationship with different types of people, but we’re not laying bets. The company website adds, “….and what to do when you meet someone who doesn’t think about killing themself.” Indeed, the program quotes Theatre of Cruelty writer Antonin Artaud’s “I feel no hunger for death. I simply hunger not to be.” How that quote and that earlier phrase relates to what Prillaman offers here certainly evaded this critic.
Imaginative artists from Artistic Director Brandon Urritia to a quartet of actors – two of whom ambitiously depict 14 roles – do propel the evening with energy and enthusiasm. The script and performances are infused with a droll sense of humor that is not laugh out loud funny but elicits considerable giggles from the audience.
The premise is set in a dystopia in which guards Tobin and Asher, dressed like secret service agents in black suits and armed with automatic rifles, flank a new museum piece – two stacks of clothes and shoes painted gold and sitting atop a white pedestal.
Tobin (Jeff Burteson) is a stolid veteran while Asher (Marla Lopez) is a newbie whose friendly demeanor slips in company-discouraged conversation. As they stand erect, mostly motionless, there is a slight tinge of Waiting for Godot’s pointless view of life.
But over the next 90 minutes, they struggle to cope with a broad satirical procession of beyond-weird customers ranging from an over-slick shallow television reporter to a couple of rich lovers to a political graffiti tagger. While the guards are relatively restrained, their visitors are beyond over-the-top.
Well, to start with, the first scene is punctuated loudly, repeatedly, almost without end by an offstage gut-wrenching ear-splitting vomit.
The various patrons arrive played by Luis Otamendi and Michael Font who seem to have taken speed before coming on stage, continually issuing screaming sound levels that likely could be heard in the restaurant across the street.
Further, Prillaman’s entire script is suffused by and pointedly wallows in a near endless tidal wave of obscenities and crude sexual references which must be making some elusive esoteric point — over and over and over and over. This critic copiously luxuriates in blue language, but even we were drowned in it here.
Incidentally, one of the more humorous and arguably on target passages make sharp fun justifiably of ego-centric critics’ needless and self-important relationship as unnecessary gatekeepers of Art.
Carefully paced by Urrutia, the actors Lopez and Burleson faithfully portray the straight arrow guards, investing them with character. But in deliberate contrast, Otamendi and Font are unrestrained barrages full of sound and fury, a lot of sound and fury that just seems unleashed without a whole lot of thespian technique at work. And, again, maybe that’s what Urrutia and company had in mind, but it seems like overkill.
Apparently, the playwright has stated this work can be done with four people or 16. The problem with having the courage to do it with four is that we miss that there is overlap, such as the TV reporter is also the drug pusher who also may be the lover of one of the guards. I think.
Like most absurdist theater, you have to be willing to meet this play and its production way more than halfway. That said, if you are open to simply experience it on its own terms, then you will take what you want from the production and just enjoy it.
This the second production of LakeHouseRanchDotPng’s fourth season. Its mission is cited as “to create and showcase absurdist, experimental and politically engaging new work in South Florida. We are passionate about theatre and believe that it has the power to transform lives. Our goal is to bring exciting new work that engages in conversation with our audiences and to make it accessible to everyone.”
One of its new projects is a community partnership with 1319 Press publishing the scripts of five of the shows that the theater company has developed including this one which is available in the lobby.
Art Duty runs through Oct. 5 from LakeHouseRanchDotPng, performed at Main Street Players theater, 6812 Main Street, Miami Lakes. Shows 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Running time roughly 90 minutes. Tickets $20 at www.lakehouseranchdotpng.com/tickets/#/productions-view.
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