April 2014: The Humana Festival

This year's Humana Festival was much more even in terms of quality than in years past. None of the plays produced a "hated-it" from me though some were more interesting than others. In order of seeing them, here we go:

Partners by Dorothy Fortenberry

After a long morning, which included driving to Louisville and checking into the hotel, this was the perfect way to kick off the festival! Partners concerns two best friends: one a young, straight women already situated in a comfortable marriage and the other a gay, white male approaching the point of having to take the "next step" with his black boyfriend. The partnership theme extends as well to the business that the two besties have longed talked about starting, but from which one seems to be pulling back. A series of events prove life-changing, effectively ending one relationship and moving the other much forward. The play nicely portrays how couples don't really know each other until faced with such stresses and accurately makes the case that nearly all the problems that romantic couples have stem from either money or sex. I wasn't prepared for how much this play made me think about my own life. Great stuff!

SITI Company's Steel Hammer

My first exposure to Anne Bogart and the SITI Company was at the Humana Festival in 2009 with their work Under Construction, which didn't make much sense, but thrillingly presented utter chaos on stage for its finale. Steel Hammer is more traditional than that piece, which isn't saying much. It's a mediation on the legend John Henry and functions mostly as a dance/movement piece. Like many experimental theatre pieces, I think it would be more fun to be one of the actors as opposed to being in the audience since much of it seems like an acting exercise. And exercise they do with the actor playing John Henry at one point running at least a mile around a large circular platform in boots! I'd say only a third or less of the piece actually features dialogue, but it is informative about John Henry even if his story is presented non-linearly. The haunting, prerecorded music written especially for this piece adds greatly to its enjoyment.

Remix 38, featuring the acting apprentices

This year's series of short plays to show off the acting apprentices were reflections on previous plays from past Humana Festivals. No prior knowledge of those works thankfully was required to appreciate Remix 38. There was plenty of talent (and skin) on display this year though the most of the works were dramatic whereas the 11 pm start time for the 90-minute show lends itself better to comedy. It was nice to see many of the apprentices actually featured in two of the other plays this year in non-speaking roles.

The Christians by Lucas Hnath (previously at Humana with Death Tax)

I was dreading this play based on its title, but it turned out to be a very thought-provoking exploration of religion in modern times. Taking place inside a megachurch as seen on TV, the beginning takes place during an actual service where one of the things we find out is that the congregation has finally paid off their megabuilding. During the sermon, the pastor delivers his newfound belief (and the reasons behind it) that he no longer believes in an actual devil or in hell as a real place. This news and its timing sparks much debate/outrage among the parishioners as well as with the pastor's wife. The remaining action documenting the pastor's fall from power takes place over the following month or so. One of the play's best lines, "I have a powerful urge to communicate with you, but I find the distance between us insurmountable," is nicely illustrated by having all the characters, whether they are addressing the congregation in church or having a one-on-one conversation elsewhere, speak in televangelist-ese using microphones. A very interesting choice well-played.

The Grown-Up by Jordan Harrison (previously at Humana with Maple and Vine)

This play's quick time-traveling action, clearly its main attraction, unfortunately requires intense concentration to keep up with it. Jumping between the stories of a sailor who discovers the powers behind the jewel in the eye in the ship's mermaid figurehead, a young boy whose grandfather tells him that the jewel (now a doorknob) can transport him into the future (which he does a little too much!), and his sister who spends her life trying to catch up to him, it is easy to get lost! The staging is fast and furious with all of the actors on stage, ready to change courses in the blink of an eye. It seems the boy grew up to be a novelist and most of play appears to be an acting out of his most popular work. This one is worth a second look because its themes (growing older?) are clearly overshadowed by the madcap plot.

brownsville song (b-side for tray) by Kimber Lee

This serious work memorializing a young black man gunned down in his prime (is it based on a true story?) drew much of the audience's interest by being deliberately confusing in terms of not knowing exactly when some of the action takes place and (early on) how the characters even relate to each other. While that was a definite turnoff for me, there's is no denying how emotional and in the end powerful the story is. Featuring some of the best acting of the festival, this one had me in its grip by the rousing finale despite a slow start.