Aberrant Reflections on the Barbarism of You & I
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Running Time: 60 Minutes Venue: Know Theatre of Cincinnati Wed, 06/02/2010 - 09:00 Sat, 06/05/2010 - 09:00 Sun, 06/06/2010 - 07:00 Tue, 06/08/2010 - 09:00 Sat, 06/12/2010 - 05:00 |
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An Encyclopædia theatrum of prophetic proportions.
From Artemis Exchange
Show Description: Either belonging to or closely related in genetic mapping to the genus/species Encyclopædia theatrum, this production reaches into - and far past - the mainstream to address the secrets, lies, myths, and truths behind eons of humanity's barbarism. We follow the three remaining captives of a nameless, faceless theatrical autocrat as he continues to force them to perform scenes of a seemingly random and sardonic nature. While struggling to find meaning to their captor's scrawlings and escape from their serfdom, they also deal with the unknown fate of disappeared cast-mates as well as their personal relationships with each other. Will they wait in vain for a curtain that never falls or get the chance to take their final bows? God only knows. Or does he, really? Don't miss the shocking conclusion of ABERRANT REFLECTIONS OF THE BARBARISM OF YOU & I!
Most Fringy Thing: George Michael, The Antichrist, Adam & Eve, Filet-O-Fish™, Prince William of Wales, Johann Fuhlrott, Baphomet, 4 (...make that 3) actors & their neurotic captor all rolled into one show. Oh, and there's also a love triangle. And King Kalakaua.
Artist/Company Bio: Artemis Exchange was founded in 2008 by Christopher Karr and Chris Wesselman through a shared interest to pursue independent theatrical endeavors. Always eager to experiment within a Theatre of Poverty, which demands a fully realized production through aesthetic invention that rejects the notion that dollars and cents will produce effective theatre, they are excited to return to the fertile soil of the Cincinnati Fringe. Last year's entry, A Perfectly Wonderful Evening, earned audience and critical praise, garnering two Cincinnati Entertainment Award nominations, with a win for Best Alternative Production. This year brings the daunting task of adapting Christopher Karr's NOTES TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE END OF THE WORLD (WHICH IS NOW) OR MASHED POTATOES AND HOW WE GOT FUCKED, a 1,000-page manuscript, for the stage. After months of reading and note-taking, a unique blend of improvisation and scripted material was used to form the scenes that make up the body of each show. They thank (profusely) Know Theatre and the entire Cincinnati audience base; without their ongoing support of theatrical endeavors, big and small, none of this would be possible.
Hails from: Cincinnati, OH & New York City, NY
Previous Fringes: 2009 Cincinnati Fringe Festival (A Perfectly Wonderful Evening)
Critics' Reviews
Critic's reviews go here.
Reviews
My Ratings System Explained/ Aberrant Reflections... Reviewed
MY RATING SYSTEMS:
Traditional (totally subjective rating based on how we liked it)
1=Disappointed 2=Enjoyed 3=Recommend 4=Encore
Fringe rating
FRINGY=a show you would only expect to see at a Fringe festival
FRINGIER=a show that even at a Fringe festival you think- wow, that was different
FRINGIEST=a show pushing the boundaries of what you ever see anywhere
Randy 4 * Suzana 4 * Klara 4 * * FRINGIEST *
This was what I call 'Waiting for Godot' on Crack. It is fast, it is funny,
it is brainy in parts, and it keeps you wondering 'What? Is going on?'
We watch first 4 and soon 3 actors performing scenes dictated by some
unseen entity who names the next scene by sending messages on a
clothesline. We get to see the scenes change, the roles change, and the
actors comment between each scene about whatever reactions they are
having at the moment. The scenes alone are hilarious, but suddenly they
almost make sense as they spin theories that explain the Creation, or
Fascist/Church persecution of Jews, or taxes and the anti-christ.
Then they go absurd or take a quick left turn, and owl students vomit
into buckets or the King of Hawaii gets trapped into proving Tea Bagger
theories, or the oral reading of O Magazine manifests a sex crazed demon.
Meanwhile, we are laughing and laughing but we are not totally sure what about.
Our rare Triple 4 & FRINGIEST rating means it is a must see.
TheConveyor Review: Aberrant Reflections on the Barbarism...
T-shirts alone are not funny. T-Shirts on and off the bodies of three talented actors are hilariously sharp. Artemis Exchange's production of Aberrant Reflections on the Barbarism of You & I premiered on Wednesday and quickly has become one of my must see recommendations of the Festival.
For more Click Here
CityBeat Review
by Tom McElfresh
Critic's Pick
Watching the Artemis Exchange troupe in performance at this year’s Fringe is little like learning that some Nobel scientist can also write sonnets with Shakespeare or tap dance with Astaire or do close-up magic with Doug Henning. The group’s 2009 offering, Perfectly Wonderful Evening, won awards and serious applause for the way in which it made some heightened, highly unlikely (though historic) correspondence and dinner table conversation between T.S. Eliot and Groucho Marx seem casually relaxed and realistic.
Read the rest of the review here
CityBeat Preview
Full article here
by Tom McElfresh
Co-creators Chris Wesselman and Christopher Karr want their evolving, dark-hearted comedy to ask audiences this question: “Where does the barbaric nature of the human rest its head when it’s unconscious?” Says Wesselman, “We try to take things that are dark and depressing and make them light and frothy.” And maybe a whit more understandable. He, Emma Robertson and Chris Dooley play actors trapped in endless repetitions of the same monstrous acts as they “explore the darkness that has shadowed mankind since creation and will continue to do so until our bitter end.” But remember: It’s a comedy.