Scene Report: Day 7 (Wednesday)

Queen Kong
Dana Block takes the notion of a one-person show to the limit: not only does she play all the characters, but admission ($5 or pay-what-you-can) is via an unstaffed can, stage lighting is nonexistent, she runs the sound herself, and does a costume change midperformance, beseeching the audience to enjoy the music on the boombox while she's gone and everything else grinds to a halt.

This show is nuts, and I mean that in the best possible way. Take the premise: Leni Reifenstahl (under a slightly different moniker, but how many other 90-year-old German women film directors can you name?) plots a comeback by filming a new version of King Kong starring Ken and Barbie. The usual complications ensue.



I really don't want to give too much away, especially since the whole show is less than half an hour long, but there's just so damn much good stuff here, including the best use of both slam poetry and the Vagina Monologues I've seen. Oh, and here's the Queen herself:



There's something delightful, and also a little off-putting, about the sight of a grown woman playing with dolls and costumes with this much abandon. I thought at various points about Gilda Radner, Andy Kaufman, and especially Pee Wee Herman--but I'm only mentioning those revered names to provide some reference for Block's idiosyncratic craft, in which the toys of childhood are used for thoroughly adult purposes. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I walked in (probably a far more sedate multi-character comic monologue), and I completely enjoyed the whole bizarre adventure. Leni assured the crowd it was a work in progress, and I'm pretty tempted to return near the end of the run to see where the hell it all ends up. If you appreciate a truly eccentric sense of humor and relish rough edges as much as I do, you'll want to check this out for sure. (The show continues every day through Sunday at Rust Belt.)

Journey to the West
All of us organizer types were astounded when we learned that an artist was planning to come all the way from Taiwan to perform a 15-minute puppet/video piece twice during the festival. Sadly, the live portion of the show was not to be, but the video seems to stand on its own just fine. The short, witty animation/live action segment was fun and just weird enough to leave folks scratching their heads.

Ask Her to Dance
I wanted to be sure to support this new project by two young media artists (Brian James Griffo and Ryan James Detzel) not only because the stills on their site looked cool but because they just seemed so excited about being part of the festival and I didn't want them to be disappointed with a small turnout. Little did I know they'd pack Hallwalls' screening room with very little help from me or anyone else! Their video, a travelogue of their journey to Thailand, was technically quite impressive--a real treat for the eyes (and the ears, since it feels a bit like a music video for a 70-minute mix tape--a really nice mix tape at that). I confess I had my qualms about the content--which was somewhat interesting as an abstract portrait of a foreign country seen through the eyes of American visitors; not so interesting when the two filmmakers were onscreen, at which points it seemed too much like (extremely well-edited) vacation footage. Much of the imagery here was glorious to behold purely on a visual level--I just wish there was more going on beneath the dazzling surface. (Though I admit I ducked out early in time to get to a 9 o'clock show, so maybe I missed something crucial near the end.) The tape will make a killer demo reel should these guys decide to pursue jobs in the industry, and I wish them luck if that's their goal (even if it's not a particularly infringe-y one--but hey, maybe they'll donate a portion of their first million to the festival...). No matter what, they've got a good feel for the possibilities of their chosen medium, and I expect to see great stuff from them in the future.

The Sky Could Fall
Watching this Montreal-based duo breathe, eat, twirl, and dance with fire in Days Park with an audience of 100 other folks was one of those moments I'm going to cherish from this year's festival for a long time to come. I'm having trouble finding words to describe this one, but then why do I need to bother? If that last sentence isn't enough to get you out to the park after the sun goes down between Thursday and Sunday night, then you clearly have no idea what a special opportunity awaits you there:



That's a burning umbrella, in case you can't tell from my obligatory crappy cell phone shot. John Carocci, my colleage in the Real Dream Cabaret, has posted some far better images from tonight's show here, and the group's own site has many more from past performances around the world--but trust me, no photo can capture the experience of fire in motion. FYI, this is one Infringment show you can bring the kids to see with no qualms. (Bonus FYI: The group announced after the show that they are planning a "mayhem parade" from Nickel City Co-Op to Days Park starting at 8 p.m. tomorrow, although that was before they learned the Violent Femmes are at Lafayette Square.)

Happy Hour at La Tee Da
I finally made it to La Tee Da, the festival's nightly post-show hangout. Heard this was hoppin' last Saturday; tonight there were about three tables' worth of folks I recognized as performers and/or organizers, along with a nice jazz combo. Lots of talk of plans for the future, a little festival gossip, tasty bread and hummus, and 2-for-$5 beers. Can't beat that.

Amount spent on admissions for the evening (4 shows total): $8 + the boombox I donated to S. Vestas for the run of their show.