LIVE CULTURES 011
The aftermath of witnessing a rat birth + other (less traumatic) things to see in March.
February was a short month but it’s been a jam-packed one. First, came the Super Bowl, which prompted a late night writing frenzy that resulted in a walk-on Program Notes essay entitled, Turn The TV Off, offering a close reading of Kendrick Lamar’s half-time show. In case you missed it, you can read below!
Turn the TV Off.
There were 133 million eyeballs watchfully awaiting Kendrick Lamar’s half-time show. Aware of this immense visibility, Lamar certainly gave us something to look at: not a halftime spectacle, but rather an uncanny reflection of ourselves in the midst of the “Great American Game.”
Later in February, Field Trip 006 took 10 brave souls to Florentina Holzinger’s very sold-out performance of TANZ. In short, I’d liken the piece to the comedic offspring of The Substance and Suspiria (?).We laughed, we yelled, we winced, an octogenarian birthed a rat(!) and (according to the ushers) four people passed out, but it was oh so WORTH IT! Here are some candid reactions from the night:
To round out the month, I released Quiet feelings, the first *official* instalment of Program Notes, in which I explore theatre beyond the context of the stage. Quiet feelings turns inward with a reflection on the performance and truth of being.
Quiet feelings
Program Notes is a new Live Cultures segment that reflects on theatre beyond the context of the stage. In this essay, I tease out some ambiguous feelings prompted by Kyle Abraham’s Park Avenue Armory Commission, Dear Lord Make Me Beautiful, performed last December.
I’m taking a much needed break from NYC this month (London’s calling!) but rest assured, I have you covered on what to see in the city this March…
LIVE CULTURES: MARCH PICKS
KINGS…Come Home @ The Apollo Theater
(March 5th-16th)
Fresh off of a sold-out run in the Netherlands, KINGS… Come Home makes its way to Harlem to explore the trials of migration. A family sets out in search of safety, prosperity, and a place to call home. Their hopes seem to materialise when they find a house in the middle of a field—but as they settle in, the walls begin to shift, and their utopia slowly crumbles. In multiple tongues (English, Lingala, Tigrinya, Dutch to name a few), KINGS… Come Home raises the question: How does the endless cycle of uprooting shape the search for belonging and identity? [TICKETS]
Kayla Farrish: Put Away The Fire, Dear @ Chelsea Factory
(March 6th-8th)
I did something I wasn’t supposed to do. I released my rage. I let it spill from the small corners of my home. And wondered what if I took it all down. What if I had to start over to see myself here?
Through narrative dance-theater, Kayla Farrish jumps through portals spanning reality and cinema, changing the lens, uprooting power and its distorted existence. Put Away The Fire, Dear dismantles what is possible by dreaming up the unwritten stories and allowing their existence and rebellion to be seen. [TICKETS]
Gauthier Dance @ The Joyce Theater
(March 11th-16th)
Gauthier Dance brings a triple-bill of contemporary dance to the Joyce this month. The program includes works from some of my favourite choreographers with Sharon Eyal’s Envy, a striking piece about envy characterised by its intense physicality and Eyal’s gorgeously grotesque movement language, as well as Hofesh Schechter’s Swan Cake, a bold and gritty dance study in swarm behaviour, set to an immersive original score by Shechter himself. Note: The company will be hosting a curtain chat on Wednesday, March 12th – highly recommend. [TICKETS]
Boy Blue presents Cycles @ Lincoln Center Rose Theater
(March 27th-29th)
Cycles is movement at its most fluid, distilled and skilled from Olivier Award-winning Hip-Hop dance theatre company, BoyBlue. Resolute and unapologetic, Boy Blue's latest production is a tenacious exploration of hip hop dance in all its forms. Experience the connection between the movement on stage and the rhythm, groove and bounce of the music, as nine powerful dancers fill the space in what feels like unending motion. [TICKETS]
Purpose @ Hayes Theater
(Opened February; ongoing)
For decades, the influential Jasper family has been a pillar of Black American Politics: civil rights leaders, pastors and congressmen. But like all families, there are cracks and secrets just under the surface. When the youngest son Nazareth returns home with an uninvited friend in tow, the family is forced into a reckoning with itself, its faith and the legacies of Black political power and familial duty. Spirited, hilarious and filled with intrigue, Purpose is an epic family drama from one of the country’s most celebrated and promising voices. [TICKETS]
LIVE CULTURES’ ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY(!!)
April marks a whole 12 months of Live Cultures and I’m planning another big theatre field trip to celebrate. There’s so much to choose from, so I’m deferring to the voice of the people. Stay tuned on my Instagram for details and the all important poll!
Until then, stay cultured!