TOHUBOHU! performs with guest artist George Herms June 11,12,13
photo credits: Martin Cohen, Joanna Grasso, Michael Childers
Here is our review:
TOHUBOHU!
“We just create art on the spur of the moment.”
Rachel Rosenthal
In a sentence, that pretty much sums up the experience that is TOHUBOHU! at Espace DbD. For those of you unfamiliar, Rachel Rosenthal has been performing and teaching and pushing the boundaries of experimental theater for over half a century.
Over the course of an evening of TOHUBOHU!, the audience, or witnesses, have the pleasure of experiencing some rather “pure” improvisation. That is, full and total freedom of the performers to find the truth of the moment, with no pressure to create anything- be it drama, humor, or a wacky wrap up.
For those of us who have studied theater games, be it Compass Players, Spolin, Piven, or even Groundlings/ IO/ UCB/ etc… TOHUBOHU! will be a pleasant reminder of the best that these techniques have to offer: skilled players, surprising coincidences, revelatory moments.
And not to offend any of you “lovers of the herald” out there, but TOHUBOHU! also dismisses with the worst of what performances based on the games have become- an excuse for performers to grand stand, steal focus, push forward horrible jokes and insults, and see who can be more outrageous than each other.
The evening is almost like a spiritual or religious experience, with Rachel Rosenthal as your shaman, guiding not only the performers in their quest, but the audience as well. The seating is limited, with only 35 patrons per performance, and the experience is quite intimate. It felt as if the audience was a voyeur, a nearly invisible yet necessary element in the progress of an incredibly talented corps of dedicated performers.
TOHUBOHU! realizes what many scripted performances attempt yet fail at achieving; it poignantly deconstructs the human condition, and awakens the audience to confront their own place within it.
Thematic content includes: All performances will differ, but expect Dance/ Movement, Highbrow, Humor, Live Music, Violence, Love
TOHUBOHU! runs March 12,13,14 April 9,10,11 May 7,8,9 June 11,12,13 July 9,10,11
Friday and Saturday at 8:30pm Sunday at 7:30pm $20
Map of Espace DbD/ Rachel Rosenthal Co.
Buy Tickets
Visit the DbD/ Rachel Rosenthal website
Contact the production/ producers
View a Charlie Rose interview with Allen Ginsberg, Steven Watson and George Herms from Nov 29, 1995 Please note: interview begins at 22:30
