KO Review of Untitled Feminist Show
UNTITLEDFEMINISTSHOW
By Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company
Conceived and Directed byYoung Jean Leein collaboration with Faye Driscoll, Morgan Gould and the original performers. Presented by Theatre Junction and One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre.
I had the pleasure tonight of enjoying a marvelous dinner at Workshop Restaurant in Theatre Grand with my Mom, followed by the Untitled Feminist Show. Even after reading the press release, watching clips and interviews about the performance, I walked not knowing exactly what I would be seeing. My Mom however, walked in completely unaware of what she was seeing. In fact, (this was completely hilarious) she brought her Opera binoculars just incase she needed a closer look at the performers. She quickly realized they wouldn’t be necessary.
The performance highlights a brief history of feminism through dance and performance which took the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions. Starting from a witch turning herself into a prince, to a beautifully sung acapella ballad, to a hip-hop dance performance of traditional womans rolls, to a full-out slow motion physical assault, the audience is at the whim of the performers. Did I also mention the performers are completely nude?
Yeah, this is a fully nude performance. It’s amusing because 10 minutes into the show the nudity becomes less visible and action of the performance speaks to your eyes with greater volume. Unless there is a sexual innuendo (there are a few) you get lost in the comedic frolicking across the white stage. The stage is minimalist, and the performance is maximus, consuming your focus with the fierce female production.
My personal favorite scene from Untitled Feminist Show was the hip-hop dance sequence to the instrumental remix of the N.O.R.E. featuring Pharell song Nothin’. The choreography was amazing! It made me want to get out of my seat and break it down with them. They were enacting cooking, cleaning, feeding babies and changing diapers. But when you perform those roles to that music, it is just so tongue-in-cheek fantastic. Young Jean Lee said “My goal is to find ways to get past audiences’ defenses against uncomfortable subjects and open people up to confronting difficult questions by keeping them disoriented and laughing”, this was very much achieved.
Young Jean Lee has been called “the most adventurous playwright of her generation”, was the recipient of the 2011 Guggenheim Fellowship and named one of the ‘top 25 artists who will change the face of American theatre’ by American Theatre Magazine. “The High Performance Rodeo is thrilled to partner with our friends at Theatre Junction”, says Ann Connors, managing producer of the High Performance Rodeo. She continues, “This show blew Toronto audiences away and we know that our sophisticated and daring Calgary audience will love it too.” Calgary is thirsty for the freshness in the arts, and the full-house buzzing with excitingment was a great indication of that. It would be wonderful to see the Untitled Feminist Show in New York, but it becomes extraordinary when you see it in the comfort of the germinating scene growing in Calgary.
Theatre Junction Artistic Director Mark Lawes is proud to bring Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company back to Calgary in collaboration with the High Performance Rodeo, “Young Jean Lee is one of those rare and daring theatre makers whose work continually reflects and challenges the American zeitgeist.”
One show remaining in Calgary Sunday January 18 at 2pm
Education & Outreach
‘Naked’Brunch: Sun. Jan. 18- Enjoy brunch before the matinée from Workshop kitchen+culture
“Never mind finding a category for this work: What matters is its genuine charm; wholesome and subversive at the same time.” – Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Post
Featuring: Becca Blackwell, Amelia Zirin-Brown (aka Lady Rizo), Katy Pyle, Jen Rosenblit, Madison Krekel, and Desiree Burch. Scenic design, David Evans Morris; lighting design, Raquel Davis; sound design, Chris Giarmo and Jamie McElhinney; projection design, Leah Gelpe.
UNTITLED FEMINIST SHOW
Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company (New York)
Presented by Theatre Junction and One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theatre
As part of the High Performance Rodeo
At Theatre Junction GRAND
608 1st Street, SW
Thurs., Jan. 15 to Sat., Jan. 17 at 8pm, Sun., January 18 at 2pm
Tickets: 44 regular; $20 students, artists, under 30
Reservations:(403) 205-2922, ext. 1, or online: Get Tickets
