Theater Review: Cut to Pieces

Despite what the Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism video suggests, living in Cleveland can sometimes be pretty awesome.

Last night I saw a play called "Cut to Pieces" at the Cleveland Public Theatre and was absolutely amazed. This play was co-written by Cleveland authors, Raymond Bobgan and Chris Seibert(Chris plays every part in the play as well). Probably my favorite thing about this play was that it mixed different genres and media in order to reach the final product. It opens with C.C. Birdie, the playwrite who addresses the audience and notes that we will have to participate. I immediately groaned and shifted in my seat, worried that she was going to call volunteers, but our participation required us to imagine things and that is something I'm more than okay with. She plays 11 different roles in the play, each with his/her own inflection, stance, etc. To be able to do this is amazing in itself, and I've only seen it done well two other times, but that is not where this play's innovation ends.

The entire play takes place in front of a screen. Imgaes are sometimes projected on to the screen, sometimes the images are happening in real time, and sometimes (most of the time actually) they are pre-recorded. The choreography that must have gone in to this play simply blows my mind.

In this picture from the Cleveland Public Theatre's website, you can see C. C. Birdie (stage) interacting with the Private Investigator (screen) but both parts are played by Seibert.


At one point, what's happening in the play becomes too real for C.C. and she has to stop and apologize to the audience, breaking character(s). She hides in a large cabinet at the side of the stage and her image is projected on the screen where she is crying and inconsolable.

So, all of this is enough to go see the play alone, but the story is great as well. It's a "who dun it" tale where 7 "strangers" meet at an old man's house, oh, and he just happens to be Hades. Thus, the myths of Hades and Persephone are intertwined with the story as well.

Raymond Bobgan has been noted (I believe because of this play) as one of the top 25 people in America who will change the face of theater and after seeing this, I must say, I whole heartedly agree.

5/5

Edit: I forgot to mention, this will be running for two more days (tonight and tomorrow) so if you're in Cleveland, you should definitely make the trip. Tickets can be bought CPT's Website.

I love you, Mary Louise-Parker.

I am not sure if I've expressed my love for Mary Louise-Parker on here, but today I think I will. You may know her from Showtime's Weeds, but I can only see her as Harper from HBO's miniseries (based on Harold Kushner's play) Angels in America, and now I've read that she is playing a lead role in a modern take on Ibsen's Hedda.

Actually, just from reading this article on the New Yorker's website Parker's characters, Nancy, Harper, and Hedda, do not seem very different to me. They are all desperately trying to grasp on to some sort of control to keep their own sanity; Harper through her need to move to Alaska, Nancy through her drug dealing, and Hedda through her marriage. Each woman is strong (and a bit crazy) in their own way and it makes me love Parker even more for continually taking on the role of a strong, independent woman.

"Fine-boned and wasp-waisted, Parker plays Hedda as an icy, eye-rolling, passive-aggressive bitch. She’s as petulant as a cat, and just as unbiddable."

I mean, tell me this doesn't intice you!