Filling in the gaps 08/05/2013 - 1:51am

Editorial
Alright, I have to admit in my excitement for the Fringe I failed to observe one of its most sacred rules: Plans are for sissies. The Fringe openly mocks list-makers and other Type A’s and ultimately overwhelms you with the beauty (or discomfort) of the unexpected. Why? Well, call it theater. That schedule from before? Utter imagination. But what actually happened was so much better. After dizzily peeling off in my friend’s Subaru, we wound up at the Rarig instead of the New Century Theater, where we had intended to begin. Laziness and inertia then kept us in the Rarig orbit for the afternoon, a classic Fringe symptom. Forced to craft an altogether new plan from the one I had created that morning around 2 or 3 AM, we shrugged and my Classicist friend (as in, adores and studies Classics) agreed to try Elysium Blues to honor its homage to Eurydice. The video did not look enthralling or particularly compelling to me, but we gambled. Elysium Blues - Rarig Xperimental Or, in which i fall in love More info 2571_Elysium_Blues.jpg The first sign of promise was when we saw Chris Garza in line. Perhaps, just perhaps, we had unknowingly stumbled across refined taste. Filing into the space, I absorbed a combination of laughter and mutterings. Sitting down and casually observing my fellow Fringers, I counted already 4 people hurriedly catching some shut-eye before the first show of the day. Admirable. I also noticed that I was one of five people of color at the premiere of a show featuring persons of color by a theater promoting persons of color. Hilarious. We must be in Minnesota. (SIDE RANT: Also that fact that people of color were largely artists/performers/writers themselves as opposed to adoring audience members was noteworthy. Hard to say this was a new phenomenon and I promise not to harp on this issue, but as a performer of color--here, an audience member--I was intrigued and troubled. There is something to be said about the audiences the Fringe attracts and is accessible to, even today in 2013.) Chuckling with excitement and anticipating dreadful theater in the dark, I heaved a sigh not expecting much. But a creative use of vocalizations--from beatboxing to interweaving riffs, from soaring guitar solos to heartbreaking lilts--and some solid casting decisions made this show a loving knock-out. I have to confess that as a nerd I took six years of Latin and was no stranger to the Greek parallels of Eurydice and Orpheus. But this? This made my soul sing. Stunning vocalists with effortless emotion, careful treatment of the abyss of domestic violence, and representations of the dangerous beauty and unsung heroism of stories we tell our children. My concerns? - While I appreciate rhyme, I appreciate it more when it is disrupted to prove a point. It got a bit much. Props to Persephone for wrestling with so many of them without sounding too ridiculous. - Do all hipsters go to hell? I was confused but entertained. - I prodded my Classicist buddy and asked for her feedback. In a nutshell, the myth of Eurydice and Orpheus is thus, for those who were more practically studying Spanish or French in school: Eurydice was bitten by a snake and died. Orpheus, her husband, was so upset that he played and sang songs to lament her passing. He was so good the gods wept, he went to the Underworld, charmed the rulers Hades and Persephone, and bargained with them. He was permitted to bring his wife back Earth with him if he guided her without looking back. Ever the doting husband, however, he does and he loses her. The story is usually about Orpheus--what a great musician, what a great lover, blah blah blah. There is no direct evidence that their relationship was abusive - yet this added nuance and intentional direction was a powerful way to uncover Eurydice’s voice. And let me tell you, Rachel Austin is a fucking gem. As someone who works with abused women and trafficked girls, I was floored and encouraged by Rachel’s representation of a strong abused woman. Rock on. (SIDE RANT: Looking up her bio right now and she apparently graduated from Macalester College in 2009 and this is her third Fringe. Give it up for some solid talent. I am hypercritical of performers and she honestly convinced me with her confusion, devotion, sass, and anguish. She is that good. This perhaps explains the listing of Harry Waters Jr. and Macalester College under the Thanks. Or not. I’m just pumped and apparently name-dropping like I’ve had too much tequila.) - Loved the show, did not like the publicity. The image and video didn't capture what I loved - but maybe that's best as a surprise? - If this show is about reclaiming voices and offering choices, then why does the piece end with Orpheus being coerced into following his dead wife’s wishes? Doesn’t that completely change the tone and message? Am I overthinking this messaging thing? (Blame Macalester.) - I want this show to draw in the crowds. I was downright shocked when I heard the music for this show (dialogue definitely weaker but the leads do the best they can). I think I even fell in love with Eric Mayson. I loved him and feared him and I loved and feared the director for making that happen. I wanted to follow him and make him sing more songs and coax that guitar a little more. My friend quickly ushered me out of the theater and back into the light. This show kicked off my Fringe in eleventh gear and I was freaked. Go see the damn show.
Headshot of Lisa Hu
Lisa Hu
Filling in the gaps: Musings from a mind bustling with questions amidst the chaotic shenanigans of the Fringe: Who hardcore Fringes when? How are we products of our environments? Do these shows interact with one another? Does it matter?