FRIDAY, MAY 03, 2019 THEATER: "MANUELA INFANTE," OR REVENGE OF THE PLANT KINGDOM ESTADO VEGETAL *** out of **** BARYSHNIKOV ARTS CENTER If monologist Anna Deavere Smith could dance and preferred fiction to non, she might come up with something like the oddball pleasures ofEstado Vegetal.</p><p> This one person performance piece belongs at the Baryshnikov Arts Center for two good reasons.</p><p> First, it was workshopped at the BAC in 2016.</p><p> Second, every gesture, every movement by performer Marcela Salinas has purpose and effect.</p><p> It's abold, fascinating and slightly nutty work that will reward those ofan...expansive nature when it comes to the arts.</p><p> This is the sort ofshow that begins simply, with a man answering questions from an unseen police officer.</p><p> By the end, actors don ceramic pots, then a giant plant gets the spotlight along with a microphone while you confidentlywait to hear what it has to say and it seems quite reasonable to do so.</p><p> You can think of Estado Vegetal in several ways.</p><p> It's a manifesto for the plant kingdom, those members of this planet perhaps unfairly ravaged by homo sapiens.</p><p> It's also a one person show where Salinas captivatingly embodies the members of a neighborhood reeling from a tragic "accident." The branches of a massive old tree hit some power lines late at night, plunging their street into darkness just as young fireman Manuelcomes roaring down the road on his motorcycle.</p><p> Salinas deliversmonologues by a host of people including a city worker in charge ofgreen spaces, a little girl who loves the tree, a busybody sticking her nose into everyone else's business, the mother of Manuel and more.</p><p> And it's also perhaps a mystery of sorts, with the prime suspect hiding in plain sight and boasting the rock-solid alibi of all arboreal criminals-- trees can't move or think or act.</p><p> Can they?MICHAEL GILTZ AT WORK Michael Giltz is a freelance writer based in NYC and can be reached atmgiltz@pipeline.com FAVORITE LINKS Americablog Five O'Clock Lightning baseball blogDeep Pop -- Lori Lakin's Blog The Back Page -- Jason Page on ESPN Radio Cine-Blog -- George Robinson's Blog Documents On Art & Cinema - Daryl Chin's Blog Brucie G's Wondrous Blog Of Adventure and Mystery -- Bruce Greenspan's Blog BLOG ARCHIVE ▼ 2019 (31) ► June (1) ▼ May (9) THEATER: 'BLKS' ISHere's a video about the piece when it was being developed at BAC in 2016.</p><p> Needless to say, elements may have changed since then, but it nicely captures the artists and their creative processes.</p><p> Estado Vegetal is admirable and fun to watch, especially in the strong earlier half where one character after another comes to life through a combination of dialogue, movement, lighting and playful props.</p><p> Thepiece was created by both director Manuela Infante and star Salinas, assisted strongly by the set, costume and lighting of Rocio Hernández.</p><p> I see no credit for sound design but voice recording was done by Poldel Sur and sound is a major player in the show's effect, with a loopingdevice giving Salinas the freedom to "interview" herself as well as create aural collages that do everything from mirror the crosstalk of two humans to encompassing a roaring inferno.</p><p> However, Estado Vegetal is also an intense work of movement and sound that demands close attention.</p><p> Pieces like this are hard to maintain for an hour; Estado Vegetal runs an unwise 90 minutes.</p><p> Worse, it builds to a climactic moment in which the plants of the world finally give voice to their demands. (From the sound of it,humans are in for a world of hurt.) The scene is effective and sofreighted with grand finale symbolism (a fog machine, a sound collage that builds and builds in cataclysmic power, lighting that glows with doom and then fades to black, etc.) I naturally assumed we hadreached the end.</p><p> But no, a substantial portion of the show remained.</p><p> That portion is fascinating in its own right.</p><p> Yet it feels extraneous; intellectually I understand it's not, but still....</p><p> Worse the plotting is more ellipticaland vague than the relatively easy to follow chorus of voices thatpreceded it.</p><p> Yes, it all ties together (even a detour into the gothic) andthe philosophical ideas embodied in a flashback with Manuel give firmer voice to the show's intentions.</p><p> Nonetheless, one felt impatient towards the end, an unhappy response to a work made withintelligence and passion.</p><p> After all, many people talk to their plants.But very few listen for a response.SERIOUSLY FUNNY MUSIC: CHRIS THILE CAPS CARNEGIE HALL RESIDENCY WI...</p><p> THEATER: CIRQUE DU SOLEIL GETS ITS MOJOBACK THEATER: HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN'S LIFE WAS NOFAI...</p><p> The Movies, Books, Theater, Concerts, CDs I've See...</p><p> BookFilter Reading List TV and Film Must Watch ListTHEATER: "MANUELA INFANTE," OR REVENGE OF THE PLAN...</p><p> THEATER: "BEETLEJUICE" SHOWS A LITTLE LIFE ► April (10) ► March (5) ► February (1) ► January (5) ► 2018 (33) ► 2017 (6) ► 2016 (2) ► 2015 (17) ► 2014 (2) ► 2013 (5) ► 2012 (17) ► 2011 (15) ► 2010 (10) ► 2009 (43) ► 2008 (86) ► 2007 (781) ► 2006 (2412) ► 2005 (5)NOTE: This piece has just one more performance in NYC on May 3.</p><p> But co-writer/director Manuela Infante is a major talent to keep aneye out for when she returns to the city.</p><p> And those interested in gettinga new perspective on plants might enjoy the delightful work of popularscience The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate by Peter Wohlleben .</p><p> It was a bestseller across Europe.</p><p> THEATER OF 2019 Frankenstein: Under The Radar Fest at the Public ** 1/2 Minor Character: Under The Radar Festival at the Public *** Ink: Under The Radar Festival at the Public ** 1/2 Choir Boy ** 1/2 White Noise ** 1/2 Kiss Me, Kate *** Ain't No Mo' *** 1/2 Ain't Too Proud ** The Cradle Will Rock * 1/2 Mrs.</p><p> Murray's Menagerie *** 1/2 Oklahoma! (on Broadway) ** 1/2 Socrates ** The Pain Of My Belligerence * Burn This ** Hadestown *** 1/2 All My Sons * 1/2 Tootsie ** 1/2 Ink *** Beetlejuice ** Estado Vegetal *** Hans Christian Andersen Thanks for reading.</p><p> Michael Giltz is the creator of BookFilter, a book lover’s best friend.</p><p> It’s a website that lets you browse for books online the way you do in a physical bookstore, provides comprehensive info on new releases every week in every category and offers passionate personal recommendations every step of the way.</p><p> He’s also the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox , a weekly pop culture podcast that reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day with top journalists and opinion makers as guests.</p><p> It’s available for free on iTunes.</p><p> Visit Michael Giltz at his website.</p><p> Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and also available for free on iTunes.</p><p> POSTED BY MICHAEL GILTZ AT 1:38 AM NO COMMENTS: Post a Comment Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)Newer Post Older Post Home
