Poetics: a ballet brut – High on Concept, Low on Art

Wow – it's supercool to enter the Roundhouse by the train exhibit and use that area as the lobby.  I love it!  However, another audience member said it was a problem since there were no public bathrooms... (A small price to pay, I think.) 

Poetics: a ballet brut features an unusual set-up for the black box theatre.  A bright orange curtain is mere feet from the first row of the audience and a red floor peeks out from beneath the drape.  Two men and one women enter the stage wearing colourful T-shirts, comfy pants and shiny shoes.  The lights stay up on the audience.  A women behind me whispers: " I don't think they like us."  A child is murmuring nonsense phrases.

I'm sitting in the middle of the third row.  The actors start to move awkwardly – sometimes taking cues from each other, sometimes seeming to act independently.  They say nothing.  A fourth woman enters, dressed similarly and all dance to various '80s pop music clips.  I am fairly bored by this point and start listening to the small child in the audience.   She laughs at the actors when they start imitating ballet dancers as the orange curtain opens into a bigger space.  When two office chairs appear and the actors start pushing around on them, the child says “That's not funny...”  As they continue to chair dance, the child asks “Mommy, why are they doing that?" Why indeed.

Eventually, the four actors finish the laboured dance sequence with chairs and then three of them move onto the floor.  We hear “Dancing Queen” by Abba and the one actor left standing grabs a wireless microphone to become the lead singer who silently sings and dances along.  I realize that attending this show for me is a lot like watching any film by Judd Apatow film (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad...)  I just don't find it amusing, although many others seem to be enjoying the hi-jinks.  Perhaps I require a great deal more alcohol? 

The performance continues.  I long for a buzz.  The small child continues to chatter and audience members shoot dirty looks at her parents.  After more dancing and posturing to cheesy love songs, the child gets so loud that she is unceremoniously carried out.  I am jealous stuck in the dead centre of row three.  I notice two disco balls hanging off the ceiling which have not been used yet and I realize that we are likely only halfway through... 

I stick it out (mostly because there is no graceful way to extricate myself).  However, Poetics: a ballet brut definitely fails the “Law & Order” test created by American monologist Mike Daisey – if after 15 minutes of watching a live performance you believe that any random episode of “Law & Order” would be better, then you should leave immediately (cuz there is likely an episode at home waiting for you).  As I wait for the show to end, something interesting does happen.  But a good last 10 minutes supported by a serious gimmick does NOT a solid production make.