THE WILD BUNCH BRITISH TEAM APPROACHES EVERYTHING WITH 'SPIRIT' AND SPUNK.Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer When they visited UCLA's Freud Playhouse last May, those British oddballs
The Oddballs is a comedy act in the United Kingdom. It is best known for their "Naked Balloon Dance". It has caused controversy, including an attempt to ban the show from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. who make up the Improbable Theatre Improbable, often incorrectly called "Improbable Theatre", was founded by Lee Simpson, Phelim McDermott, Julian Crouch and producer Nick Sweeting in the mid 1990's. Although they had all worked together for some time, they were unable to get funding unless they formed an official brought a twisted little ``junk opera'' called ``Shockheaded Peter,'' which featured, among other things, a scary man who keeps children from sucking their thumbs by snipping off said appendages with a pair of scissors scissors Cutting instrument or tool consisting of a pair of opposed metal blades that meet and cut when the handles at their ends are brought together. Modern scissors are of two types: the more usual pivoted blades have a rivet or screw connection between the cutting ends . Straightforward enough, right? A parody of those cautionary tales from the Victorian era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. Although commonly used to refer to the period of Queen Victoria's rule between 1837 and 1901, scholars debate whether the Victorian period—as . Don't play with matches or you'll set yourself on fire. Macabre, but straightforward. A few months later, the same company took a new work, ``Lifegame,'' to San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse  La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre-in-residence on the campus of the University of California, San Diego. en route to a New York New York, state, United StatesNew York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of engagement. Relying heavily on improvisation, ``Lifegame'' featured the Improbables constructing a mini biography of a preselected member of the audience. OK, that makes sense too. Meet a person, and act out his or her life 30 minutes later. Got it. Beginning tonight, Improbable Theatre is back at the Freud for five performances of a new work. The play is called ``Spirit'' and it's about ... well, it kind of tries to ... you see there's this ... ``It's a bit of a strange one,'' admits Julian Crouch, the company's artistic director with Phelim McDermott. ``There are a couple of different levels. We go into our shows not really knowing where we're going to end up.'' And if somebody from this company uses the word ``strange,'' then it must be very weird indeed. In addition to the ``Shockheaded'' hijinx, Improbable Theatre has carved out its unique niche by creating poltergeists out of strands of sticky tape (as they did in the show ``70 Hill Lane'') and fashioning comedy out of comas and near-death experiences (``Coma''). But let's take another crack at this. In ``Spirit,'' three brothers who are bakers decide they want to fly. So they go to war. Somebody dies and the brothers have to figure out how to dispose of To determine the fate of; to exercise the power of control over; to fix the condition, application, employment, etc. of; to direct or assign for a use. See also: Dispose a corpse. The production is played out on a giant wooden wedge, through which the three actors - McDermott, Lee Simpson and Guy Dartnell emerge. People who have followed the Improbable career path say that, by now, nothing that springs from the brains of McDermott and Crouch will surprise them. ``They're constantly re-creating and reinventing what they do and how they approach productions,'' says Neel Keller, former associate artistic director at the La Jolla Playhouse, which produced both ``70 Hill Lane'' and ``Lifegame.'' ``I think they're fearless about being creative and imaginative. It's like you're watching very skilled tightrope walkers having fun with you.'' ``Spirit'' is also a collaboration with American professor Arlene Audergon, who teaches conflict resolution and postwar arbitration through a school of thought called process theory. Everything, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. process theory, is symptomatic of the subconscious. So the conflict in Bosnia became an inspiration, as did dream theory. ``It's also kind of a love story,'' says Crouch who, because of family commitments, will not be crossing the Atlantic for ``Spirit's'' four-city North American North American named after North America. North American blastomycosis see North American blastomycosis. North American cattle tick see boophilusannulatus. tour. ``These three actors have worked with each other for 10 years and, like any kind of family, they get fed up with each other.'' After a conversation with Crouch, you get the idea that - when it comes to building an Improbable production - no territory goes unmined. Certainly nobody's life is sacred ground. ``70 Hill Lane'' came from a series of memories from McDermott's childhood. ``Lifegame'' developed from a desire to act out the experience of near total strangers. ``Spirit'' delves into issues of death and loss, something all of the company members say they're familiar with. But Crouch doesn't want audiences to take the proceedings too seriously. ``I have to remember to say that, while we're dealing with quite dark and serious subjects, we're also trying to find the lightness,'' Crouch says. ``There's puppetry puppetry Art of creating and manipulating puppets in a theatrical show. Puppets are figures that are moved by human rather than mechanical aid. They may be controlled by one or several puppeteers, who are screened from the spectators. in this as well.'' ``They go out on this wild limb,'' agrees Keller. ``It's sort of thrilling. They're always trying to find a way to coax some real active engagement in the imagination of their audience.'' ``Shockheaded Peter'' had extended runs both at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX and in San Francisco. But ``Spirit,'' which premiered last May in Glasgow, has to be back in England for a regional tour that begins Feb. 2. The company is also at work on a new site-specific piece that will involve constructing huge towers of cellophane cellophane, thin, transparent sheet or tube of regenerated cellulose. Cellophane is used in packaging and as a membrane for dialysis. It is sometimes dyed and can be moisture-proofed by a thin coating of pyroxylin. tape, pyrotechnics pyrotechnics (pī'rōtĕk`nĭks, pī'rə–), technology of making and using fireworks. Gunpowder was used in fireworks by the Chinese as early as the 9th cent. and ``lots of insect imagery.'' Its title: ``Sticky.'' Sticky buildings, fire and insects. Let Crouch, McDermott and company never be accused of embracing the ordinary. ``SPIRIT'' Where: Freud Playhouse, UCLA. When: 8 tonight through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday; through Saturday. Tickets: $9 to $30. Call (310) 825-2101. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Lee Simpson, left, Phelim McDermott and Guy Dartnell play three brothers whose adventures leave them with a corpse in ``Spirit,'' now at UCLA's Freud Playhouse. (2) Dartnell, left, McDermott and Simpson use a giant wooden wedge, music and puppetry to produce a unique theater experience. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion