March 2013: Humana Festival

2013 Humana Festival

This year's Humana Festival (my fifth straight year of attendance) saw one less play being produced, which made for a less-packed than usual schedule. As usual, the works are a mixed bunch, but there were a couple of highlights this year. In the order that I attended them, here a this year's full-length works plus the Acting Apprentice show (FYI, I have never attended the 10-minute plays, though one of them this year featured Harry Groener of Crazy For You and Buffy, The Vampire Slayer fame!):

The Delling Shore by Sam Marks

This drama about rival authors spending the weekend together with their daughters, one of whom is also a writer, is most interesting when half into it the foursome play a game along the lines of Balderdash, but concerning books. It's clearly a device shoehorned into the story, but it's the most enjoyable part of the scenario, which should otherwise be ripe for drama. After all, these are people who clearly don't like each other, but obviously need or have needed each other in the past for their success. A bit of a let down.

Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

Shades of August: Osage County fall over this large cast drama about three dysfunctional siblings coming together to settle their family's estate. The discovery of the patriarch's photo album of lynched or otherwise mutilated slaves does spark the proceedings somewhat, but otherwise the action is not very interesting. Meh.

Sleep Rock Thy Brain

This year's showcase for the acting apprentices featured three short pieces all concerning sleep. Obviously, somebody provided/paid for an elaborate rigging system for them to practice their flying (so crucial for today's actor...not), which also explains the reason this piece was held off-site from the Actors Theatre. A few glimpses of talent were evident, but unfortunately the flying completely grounded the proceedings. Hoping for better next year.

Cry Old Kingdom by Jeff Augustin

This three-character play concerns an artist in hiding during the time of the "Papa Doc" regime in Haiti in the 1960's. It's a bit of a downer, make that a lot of a downer, given the level of betrayal the main character requires to stay alive. There's a lot of exposition in this character study, but not a lot of plot, not that there necessarily should be. Unfortunately, there was little for me to personally connect to or in the end anyone to really root for in the unbearable setting portrayed.

O Guru Guru Guru, or why I don't want to go to yoga class with you by Mallery Avido

The middle third of delightful piece is the closest to experimental theatre that the Humana Festival got this year. The first third is a lecture, complete with slide projector and notecards, about why the central character will not go to yoga class with you. She does have a serious reason (although I really enjoyed her humorous list of what most people must think about her when she declines, like how she probably can't afford it, etc.), being that she partially grew up in an ashram under the guidance of a guru. The audience is transported to that ashram in the middle third, invited by the ashram's members to come down from their seats, remove their socks, sit together on cushions, and chant along with the guru (I declined since I knew I had holes in my shoes thanks to my dog, Draper). The last third of the show takes place on the movie set of Eat, Pray, Love and is basically a conversation between the same central character as before and Julia Roberts. This is one wise, all-knowing Julia Roberts, who dispenses sage advice to our protagonist as she further tries to resolve her spirituality issues. Julia even invites her over for dinner, saying, "Danny makes great tacos." Delightful indeed.

Gnit by Will Eno

Last, but definitely not least! The highlight of this year's festival was this hilarious adaptation of Henrik Isben's 5-hour, rarely-produced-outside-of-Norway opus, Peer Gynt. Thankfully, this version clocks in at the half the running time, but it covers all the bases from the original play: bride kidnapping, running away and living in the forest, reuniting with his mother before her death, traveling abroad to Egypt, coming home and dealing with the meaning of life. It's madcap and silly and serious ala Voltaire's Candide and is clock full of fun characters that the small cast covers with gusto. A real winner that I look forward to seeing again!