- OTHER MEDIA
|
- SF Weekly March 19, 2008 (Nathaniel Eaton)
- According to the dictionary, "mimetic" means "imitative."
Given that this original play is set primarily at the San Francisco Zoo,
the title could be referring to the actors mimicking animals. Or maybe
the performers are playing animals mimicking humans. After 90 minutes,
you can't be sure, which is frustrating. The company wrote the script collaboratively,
and cites Anton Chekhov, Vsevolod Meyerhold's Biomechanics (movement for
actors), and Theater of the Oppressed founder Augusto Boal as inspirations.
The result is an absurdist play with a fuzzy plot involving a group of
humans (animals?) taking a city bus to the zoo as a sort of spiritual retreat.
There are random mentions of banana pistols, monkey dung, and crossing
the "perimeter." The incongruous dialogue is sprinkled with thoughts
of dharma and fate, but often feels like random Tourette's outbursts ("You
move slower than a three-day fuck!" and "When you masturbate,
God kills a Republican!"). There are some fine examples of skillful
physical comedy, especially by cofounder Noah Kelley, and the group meshes
well as an ensemble, with some hilarious moments such as the synchronized
dancing at the end. But the play's humor is somewhat undermined by its
absurdity, which often leaves the audience bewildered. On the night I attended,
the audience member to my left kept mumbling, "What the fuck?"
and then laughing bemusedly. I concur.
|
|