pearson's reviews: museum

[steven lee pearson]

College groups are supposed to take chances. They are supposed to do
shows that are weird, wild, wacked out, subversive, daring, and confusing to
the Average Joe (or, to be politically correct, the Average Jane). It was
with this in mind that I went to see my first non-PTTP (professional theatre
training program) college production.
There are many characters in this play, but only a very few of them
actually are anything other than brief sound bytes, so I'll give an
abbreviated cast list. Besides, if you saw the cast list, you'd probably
cringe. The only reason why I knew the characters had names other than say
"the psychotic-looking guy that looks like he never bathes and glowers at
anyone approaching him and leaves a dot on one of the 'paintings.'"

"Museum" by Tina Howe
Directed by Thomas Bruno
Set Design: John Paul Devlin
Costume Design: Debra Krajec
Lighting Design: Amy Beth Deuchler
Sound Design: Patrick Hayes

The Guard: Brian Black
Michael Wall (photographer 1): Jerry Miceli
Liz (college girl): Katie Weiford
Carol (college girl): Krissy Zivich
Blakey (college girl): Christina Byron
Bob Lamb (gay arts enthusiast): Scott Chulick
Will Willard (his lover?): Josh Kauffman
Felicia Izumi (photographer 2): Nicole Cunha
Mr Gregory (nerdy looking guy with recorded tour): Gerry Neugent
Gilda Norris (sketcher): Lindsay Bern
Tink Solheim (friend of Agnes Vaag): Katharine Horowitz
Kate Siv (obsessive friend of Agnes Vaag): Alex Martin
Julie Jenkins (photographer 3): Lorna Rose
Bill Plaid (a fat slob that Doesn't Get It): Josh Gilbert
Other Guards: Scott Schulick, Sarah Demars
Steve Williams (artist): Gerry Neugent
Mr Moe: Josh Gilbert
Mrs Moe: Brigid Baker

(and that's only about 1/2 of the cast)

The Artwork on Display:
Zachary Moe (child of deaf-mute parents, born 1963 in Ft Wayne, IN)
Starscape 19 (1995)
Skyscape 12 (1995)
Landscape I and II (1995)
Seascape IV (1995)
all are acrylic emulsion and wax on canvas

Agnes Vaag (born 1974, St Cloud, MN)
Metaphysics Revisited
Temptation and Corruption of William Blake
Abraxas
Socratic Dialog
The Holy Wars of Babylon Rage Through the Night
all are art containing various animal parts and sexual
innuendo built in.

Steve Williams (born 1956, Santa Rosa, CA)
Wet Dream Left Out To Dry (construction of paper mache, rope, wire,
etc...)

Marquette's stage is small. Intimate. No curtain that I could see
(curtains seem largely passe these days it seems - on all levels). The set
consisted of a series of 'paintings' on the wall (all blank pieces of canvas),
some freudian things involving a lot of penile imagery bordering the front of
the stage, and a clothes line upon which a family constructed of paper mache
is hanging. Under the clothes line is a basket of clothes pins. The
round-headed kind that you can't find any more.
It opens on the last day of this particular show. The Guard watches
with amusement as the First Photographer sets up to do a photo shoot. Just as
he is about to snap the first picture, the guard informs him that photography
is not permitted in the museum w/o permission. And so begins a rather
playful, but highly undirectional, treatment of Art.

I gotta admit - I was confused. This play made little sense to me.
Call me silly, but I _like_ things like plot - a story for godless' sake. If
there was a story in here, I sure as hell didn't see it. Someone - anyone -
that is familiar with this work point me to the error in my ways. It is just
a series of short, mingled character sketches that happen to be in the same
place at the same time. The only thing that ties them together is this one
room in the museum. Each person sees something different in the blank
canvases on the walls. From the arguments of style, substance, and the
problem with too many guards between two gay lovers, to the beratement of The
Establishment by a fat slob eating Grandma's Cookies.

There were Moments. There is a scene in which the guard takes a step
outside of time and the people in the museum become parts of weel-known works
of art. Or the obsessive and frazzled friend of Agnes Vaag who is looking for
a promise kept(?) by the artist. There is a running joke about the clothes
pins being swiped.
I left feeling unfulfilled. I guess I'm not a real theatre geek,
because I just didn't Get It. Maybe that was the point of the whole play.
There were multiple discussions of perceptions of art - what the artist is
trying to convey and what is perceived by the viewer.
I saw blank canvases.

-stevelee-
"The universe is a PhD thesis that God was unable to successfully
defend (andrew wyvern, "only begotten daughter")