From: Eileen Blumenthal <eileenblumenthal-AT-earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 29 Jan 2010 23:30:40 -0500 To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Subject: [Puptcrit] "Jerk" (re:Bad Notice of Puppet Show) This response is a couple of weeks late following up on the thread "Bad Notice of Puppet Show" --but-- I saw the show, Jerk. It was profoundly disturbing and, yes, unpleasant--but brilliant. The puppeteer, seated on a simple wood chair, plays the narrator who recalls and animates a series of atrocities in which he participated. He manipulates, speaks for and interacts with hand puppets, which play the other characters. It is not only an extraordinary acting performance, including interactions with the hand puppets, but it succeeds in drawing viewers into a place reeking with grusome torture, necrophilia, demented power games, and surprisingly graphic-seeming sex (you never actually see any human or puppet geniatlia). Live actors could not have taken you there. You would have turned yourself off--stopped being receptive and maybe walked out--long before you reached the heart of the darkness. The puppets delude you into feeling a safe distance from the sickness, until it's too late. You're there. It reminded me of some Mishima's work in that it drew me inside an experience I'd never even been close to feeling or understanding. Jerk was not fun to watch. But I was stunned by it. I will never forget it. And, in a way, I did enjoy it, because seeing that kind of transformative artistry is--well, isn't that what art is all about? Eileen BTW, Under the Radar also included a delightful piece called "Space Panorama." Andrew Dawson recreates the Apollo moon landing, using just his hands on a black table. You follow him perfectly as he changes scale and perspective. Just magical. On Jan 13, 2010, at 4:11 PM, widerman-AT-aol.com wrote: > Rarely have I seen such a scathing review as this one of a puppet > show that > appeared in today's New York Times. > > _http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/theater/reviews/13jerk.html? > scp=2&sq> puppet&st=nyt_ > (http://theater.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/theater/reviews/13jerk.html? > scp=2&sq=puppet&st=nyt) > > -Steven-> > _______________________________________________ > List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org > Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit > Archives: http://www.driftline.org _______________________________________________ List address: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org Admin interface: http://lists.puptcrit.org/mailman/listinfo/puptcrit Archives: http://www.driftline.org
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