THEATER REVIEW: Ses Voyages Sauvages, 3/25 @ an undisclosed West Philly apartment

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THEATER REVIEW: Ses Voyages Sauvages, 3/25 @ an undisclosed West Philly apartment

POSTED: Friday, March 26, 2010, 7:09 PM

Filed Under: Arts Theater

appliedmechanics.blogspot.com

With its commentary on ideas about home, Ses Voyages Sauvages is fittingly, and cleverly, staged in the interior of an apartment. Around 7:45 p.m., a group of people gathered on the porch of the West Philly row house, making small talk while waiting for the doors to open. Had I known how much these people would be part of the performance, I may have made more of an effort to mingle with the crowd of avid theatergoers and performers. This tone of informality and vague awkwardness remained throughout the entire performance, even after we were led up three flights of stairs to the Arctic.

To transform five rooms into different terrains, the set designer made a smart decision in employing materials commonly found around the apartment. The living room was transformed into the Arctic with cardboard boxes painted white and plastic tarps, the kitchen became a mountain range of elaborate papier-mÃ¢chÃ©, and other locales were constructed with fabric and converted furniture. While the scenery was convincingly portrayed, the found materials reminded the audience of the constant presence of home wherever you go.

appliedmechanics.blogspot.com

The cast of six young actors agilely interacted with the set and each other in meandering plotlines revolving around their own personal quests. Audience members were unleashed on the play without any guidelines about how to watch and were able to follow any character they felt inclined to. Instead of being spoon-fed a story, the audience was given their own agency. Unfortunately, most people uncomfortably clogged the hallways instead of venturing into any of the biomes. Unless there was the invitation of free food or alcohol, they were unwilling to break the typically prescribed fourth wall. The actors, meanwhile, remained intensely wrapped up in their quests, even with the audience voyeurs constantly getting in their way.

Though they ran through the storyline twice in the performance, I left Ses Voyages Sauvages wanting a longer engagement in this lucid, poetic world. But, as the actors and occasional plot holes echoed, "Why must you dream your dreams and have them, too?"

RELATED >> Agenda Pick: Ses Voyages Sauvages

Sally Bowie

Posted 2010-03-26 17:08:22

Fascinating review !  Makes me want to see this.  Sounds like the reviewer might want to return for a second experience.  Those of us who haven't yet seen it benefit from her observations and descriptions and may be guided into fuller participation.  Thank you.

Posted by Emily Currier @ 7:09 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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