I’d say that Mark Gindick had me at “hello” with his one-man comedy performance Wing-Man (directed by Barry Lubin) but he actually never said “hello”.  In fact, he didn’t say anything.  For a solid hour Mark Gindick doesn’t really say a word  but as surely as he arrives on the scene with a rose and a heart-shaped box of candy there’s no mistaking that he’s there to win your heart.  And frankly, were I not happily married I’d readily have given my heart (and a kiss – but more on that in a minute) to this man as easily as I gave him my laughter — because Mark Gindick just happens to be that engaging, magnetic and sweet.  And frankly, if anyone deserves your love, it’s him.

Ultimately every performer – be it clown, comedian, singer or Shakespearean actor – is looking for love when they walk out into the spotlight.  The love will come back to them in a few different forms  … the audience will applaud or laugh or cheer or sing along but that’s all just different ways of showing their love and acceptance.  The way the performer asks for that love is usually cloaked behind a script, a song, a story … but it’s still there. Gindick’s Wing-Man, however, cuts closer to the bone.  When Mark takes the stage he makes no pretense that he is there for any other reason than to acquire your love which – you can just tell – he will cherish and nurture.  He goes about winning your heart by making you laugh.  Over and over and over again.

It’s odd to see a performer, especially one billed as a clown, who can pluck at your core so exquisitely while making you laugh so powerfully.  Yet Gindick does it – solidly – from the moment he steps onto the stage till the moment he retreats – wrapped in bubble wrap having just done a tap dancing routine that sounded like a 21-gun salute thanks to the pop-pop-pop of the audience gamely popping along on their own sheets of bubble wrap.

The piece begins as Gindick -in pure clown style – pulls a kissing booth from a suitcase and goes about setting it up.  He adds some sultry bosa nova music to entice the would-be paramour, then leans back and waits.  And waits … and, well, you get the picture.

Soon enough he finds a radio station offering something to aid his pursuit and within moments a case of BAD-ASS arrives – full of everything he needs to get the girl.  It’s full of amazing bad-ass things (just opening the lid produces a flash of disco lights) which he immediately puts on.  A leather jacket, goggles … this kit means business.   The pocket of the jacket is filled with further bad-ass things: scissors (for running with), pop rocks and coke  (for mixing together … AND SWALLOWING!) Oh, this clown will stop at nothing to create the full effect.

Bit after bit shows off Gindick’s extraordinary talent at not only physical comedy but his broad range of styles.  One moment he’s playing furious air guitar, the next he’s channeling Gene Kelly.  Throughout it all he’s telling a story so richly textured that you’re actually saying “awwww” through your laughter, you’re on his side but he’s so hapless that you can’t help finding the humor in the situation … and of course that’s becuase you’re supposed to be finding it.  This is, after all, a clown’s story.

Director Barry Lubin spoke with me earlier about Wing-Man and explained his process when directing this piece; he said of Gindick “Mark is a sweet, wonderful, naturally funny, naturally loving and lovely guy. He makes himself vulnerable each time he is in front of an audience not because he manufactures that vulnerability, but because it is real. Mark wants our love and we love him for that”.  It’s clear that Lubin used Gindick’s natural earnestness to bring this piece to even higher levels; allowing the organic vulnerability to create space for the laughter.  And while that space is large, it is quickly filled … you barely have time to catch your breath before the laughter bubbles up again.

Eventually the various scenes lead to a satisfying conclusion in which Gindick pulls out all the stops (and the previously mention bubble wrap) and dances up a storm.  If you’re looking for a man who will make you laugh, entertain you and steal your heart look no further than Wing-Man.

Just two shows – last night and tonight.  I highly recommend you get over to The Brick and see this while you can.

~~~

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Related Posts:

• Mark Gindick Explains The Serious Business Of Clowning Around
• Barry Lubin: From Grandma To Wing-Man
• Neon Lights – Brighter Than The Sun … And Twice As Funny (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Morro And Jasp GONE WILD – No More Stops Left To Pull Out (Amuse Bouche NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• VCR Love – Where Do You Go When You’re Alone?

I don’t even know how to start explaining how or why Neon Lights (created and performed by Chris Manley and Jeff Seal) became the show that had me laughing so hard that I was literally wheezing.  Truthfully, if I gave you a rundown of everything they did in their act it would sound like I’m describing a show where two crazy lunatics mostly run around the stage for around an hour performing foolish antics, emitting crazy noises, flipping themselves around like pinballs and telling nonsensical stories – all for a laugh.  But you know how some people open their mouth to hit a high note and it sounds like a screech – but when Pavarotti did the same thing it was magic?  Yeah. That’s Neon Lights.  Somehow, they’ve found the magic.  Or – as they would tell you – the Magik.

Make no mistake.  As wild as Manley and Seal get you can see the layers of mastery encoded in everything they do.  There is no doubt that they’ve practiced, worked and reworked their craft to such a fine point that they are now able to let it fly with abandon, knowing they’ll hit the mark … the same way Annie Oakley knew she’d shoot a hole through that playing card from 90 feet away.  It’s all in the timing.

Manley and Seal start out at an almost unbelievably fast pace as they burst into the venue – they don’t let up, they don’t miss a beat, and they have the type of comic repartee that is reminiscent of a trapeze act – we can only watch in awe as they throw the jokes higher and higher and then be amazed each time they land safely at the intended mark.

This team plays brilliantly off each other, but generously gives each other the floor to showcase a talent.  For instance, Jeff Seal does an amazing impression of a Mime impersonating Robert DeNiro pretending he’s rollerblading.  And Chris Manley keeps the audience amused far longer than you’d expect with nothing but his Hello Kitty calendar and some month-by-month commentary.  It shouldn’t work – nothing about a grown man standing alone on stage with a calendar describing the pictures should work – but it had the audience howling with laughter.

Director Danny Manley knows how to let this duo break the speed limit but then also understands when it’s time to slow down the pace to give both the performers as well as the audience a chance to catch up – as well as catch their breath.  Luckily the slower bits contain just as many laughs, minus the turbo charge.

Hanging out with Neon Lights is like spending a night with your really good friends when you’re slightly buzzed and suddenly everything is funny – absolutely everything – and you’re laughing so hard that you get a stitch in your side.  Later, you may not remember exactly what it was that made you laugh so hard – and you may get blank stares when you try to explain it to people who weren’t there, but you know that these guys gave you one of the best nights of your life.

Yesterday was opening night.  Tonight – closing night.  I seriously don’t think you’ll find a better way to spend your Sunday — so get your tickets now.

~~~

Related Posts:

• Wing-Man Soars (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Morro And Jasp GONE WILD – No More Stops Left To Pull Out (Amuse Bouche NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• VCR Love – Where Do You Go When You’re Alone?
• Barry Lubin: From Grandma To Wing-Man
• Mark Gindick Explains The Serious Business Of Clowning Around

Barry Lubin as Grandma

I’ve known Grandma The Clown for as long as I’ve known the Big Apple Circus.  Grandma is as much a part of that circus arena as the sawdust and the trapeze rigging.  But it wasn’t until I saw the PBS documentary CIRCUS that I got to know Barry Lubin – the man underneath the gray wig and pearls.  Meeting Barry Lubin through the six part series was a wonderful way to see exactly how much work goes into making people laugh year after year.  It’s no easy job, and the life of a clown is serious business.

Last week I spoke with Mark Gindick about Wing-Man which opens tonight and plays this weekend as part of The Brick’s Amuse Bouche 2011: A NY Clown Theatre Festival Hors d’Oeuvre.   Today I follow up that interview by speaking with Barry, who directed the show.  I’m thrilled that he was able to share his story with us and give us a glimpse into his world.  Read on to find out what it takes to be Mark’s Wing-Man, how Barry makes a 20,000 person venue feel intimate, and how getting out of his own way is when the magic happens.  

For those who enjoyed the PBS documentary “Circus” – many people were fortunate enough to watch as you and Mark Gindick formed a strong creative team, and worked on new routines together. As one of those people who enjoyed that documentary I’m thrilled to see you come together for “Wing-Man”. Tell me how meeting each other at The Big Apple Circus changed your creative paths.

BL: Actually I met Mark when he attended Clown College where he was a student and I was an instructor. Then we became friends. I saw Mark doing a performance of his show, “How to Be a Man” at SUNY Purchase and I was immediately drawn to this theater piece and in fact asked Mark if I could be a part of it in some way, on the creative end. That began a collaboration which led to the Big Apple Circus offering him the part of Grandma for the 2001/2002 tour. Just to clarify, Grandma is my creation, and since 2001 the Big Apple Circus and I collaborate on a licensing deal in which another performer does the tour once the show closes at Lincoln Center. Mark was the very first licensee and remains to this day the go-to guy to play Grandma. In fact, a few years ago Mark’s mother asked me if I was going to hire Mark again to play Grandma. She said, “He does you better than you.” Once Mark was offered a role in the Big Apple Circus as himself, it was a natural progression, and our great pleasure to work together on various clown pieces in the show which was a part of the PBS Special, and again this past season.

You’ve created an iconic Circus Clown – Grandma. Now you’re directing Mark – someone who you’ve worked closely in the Big Apple Circus. As your creative circle widens do you see yourself mentoring other young and gifted talents? Directing more shows? Moving on to other levels of stagecraft? What excites and delights you about the future?

I am so pleased to have collaborated with Mark on Wing-Man. I would rather call myself a collaborator than director in this production. I believe Mark and I think alike, comedy-wise and that makes it relatively easy to throw ideas back and forth with each other’s routines. I love to work with other clowns, and I do plan to mentor and direct clowning much more once I retire from the Big Apple Circus. I have had the pleasure already of working with some amazing talent, and I certainly hope to continue. It is important, in my thinking, to pass along what I know, and also what I don’t know after all these years in this profession.

There’s got to be a different energy coming from a theatre audience as there is from a circus audience. What are the challenges of putting together a dynamic show in each environment? What works in the big tent that doesn’t work on the smaller stage? Or is it relatively the same?

A clown, like any other performer, must adapt to the venue, the environment, the gig. It is what makes live entertainment for clowns so exciting, and also at times, so difficult. I just did a theatrical circus in a beautiful opera house, which holds 250 people for Circus Sarasota. It was such a pleasure to appear in that intimate a setting, and to work in a very different way than the theater in the round style of Big Apple Circus. It can be daunting to have people so close, but after figuring it out, it became a daily pleasure to work this way. It was a simple concept show, with four very talented acts on a relatively small stage, and one transvestite clown, and a host. I turned the opera house into my very own playground. Right now I am in rehearsals for the Big Apple Circus, and it is time to turn that into my very own playground. It is harder to play in the round, and it is very different to play further away from the audience. Just like I did when I was on Ringling, I cut down that distance whenever possible by working in the audience. It is amazing, but I have found it to be true, that you can effectively communicate with everyone in a 20,000-seat arena. I learned that I could do that while watching David Larible when he was performing with Ringling, and I knew I had to try it solo after having done it when I started my career as part of “clown alley” on Ringling. Clowning requires adapting to each environment. The bottom line is, this little opera house in Florida, the Big Apple Circus, and Madison Square Garden can all qualify as my own personal playground. Not all material works the same in each of those venues, but my character must resonate with the audience or it won’t work in any of those places.

Bad acting is painful to sit through, but bad clowning is positively mortifying for an audience. There is a fine line between brilliant clowning and someone just making a fool out of themselves – and some performers unfortunately never catch on. You and Mark are very successful at not only putting a crowd at ease but winning them over. Tell me how you know when you’ve found that “sweet spot” in a routine – when you know you’ve hit on something that will bring the crowd to its feet.

Thank you for the very kind words and the kudos. Mark and I are successful at winning over audiences because we’ve spent a certain amount of time not knowing how, but wanting to accomplish this very badly. Failure is the best teacher, and desire and ambition and love gets you past the pain that comes with failure. I can tell you what I know about Mark, because it is far easier than analyzing what makes me successful. Mark is a sweet, wonderful, naturally funny, naturally loving and lovely guy. He makes himself vulnerable each time he is in front of an audience not because he manufactures that vulnerability, but because it is real. Mark wants our love and we love him for that. What I have learned through experience, and I am still in the process of learning, is that if I bring a sense of fun, a true love of the audience, and a lot of desire to make them laugh, I will eventually find my way to that end. If I am present, make real contact, and perform in what I call a relaxed state of concentration, wonderful things have the possibility of happening. Sometimes, the biggest key is staying out of my own way in order to create moments to which the audience responds most effectively. If I pay attention to the audience, I will know if they are responding well, and I will be equally aware of the times they are not responding well. But those especially magical moments, and they can be elusive, the ones where the audience is laughing like crazy, those are the moments I live for. It takes a combination of trial and error, of lots of experience, of being truly present, of making real contact, luck, and getting out of my own way to allow the magic to happen. And love.

Finally, what do you look forward to most about being part of “Amuse Bouche”?

I am honored to be a tiny part of the Festival, and I can’t wait to hear how the audience receives Wing-Man. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately, I have a gig which prevents me from seeing Mark perform in September. It is the Big Apple Circus, my home for 25 seasons, and this will be my final season.

Barry, thank you for giving so much of yourself these past 25 seasons; you are truly one of the best in the business and New York has been lucky to have you as part of the Big Apple Circus!  I can’t wait to see Wing-Man tonight, not only to see Mark perform but to see your touches behind the piece.  I am truly honored that you gave us this interview and I hope that as your career takes you on new paths you check in with us again so that we can follow up with you!

For the rest of you, if you’d like to catch Wing-Man come out to:

~~~

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Related Posts:

• Mark Gindick Explains The Serious Business Of Clowning Around
• Wing-Man Soars (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• The Extraordinary Fall of the Four-Legged Woman: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2016 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• CHALK: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2016 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Naked Brazilian – 5 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)

Morro and Jasp Gone Wild is what happens to two teen sisters when, on their way to the beach for Spring Break, they take a wrong turn and find themselves with a wrecked car, a trunk full of props, a book outlining Maslow’s Theory of Hierarchy some possibly mood altering substances, and the threat of being eaten (or possibly just cuddled) by a wild animal.

So, a quick run-down on Morro (Heather Marie Annis) and Jasp (Amy Lee) for the uninitiated  – (“the uninitiated” being anyone who didn’t happen to catch their show Morro and Jasp do Puberty at last year’s Clown Festival).  They are sisters.  They are squarely plunked down on opposite ends of the spectrum: Jasp is a girly wide eyed innocent who dreams of have a romantic … dare I say romantical … encounter at the beach a la Sandy from Grease with the boy of her dreams while her sister, Morro is a hard core tom boy rock and roll party girl who couldn’t care less about romance.  She just wants to drink some smuggled beer, and have some fun with her team as they compete in a “Save the Fish” volleyball tournament.  While both sisters have different reasons propelling them they share the same frenzied desire to get to the beach.  To GO WILD.  It’s just your basic teen story of raging hormones as two sisters live the dream, mark off the milestones, and let the chaotic hilarity ensue when it all goes wrong.  Except, you know … they’re clowns.

 

So the question is – are young, eager, exploring clown girls-gone-wild any different than non-clown girls on Spring Break?  And the answer is …um … yeah.  First of all, they’re clowns.  Secondly, their version of “Gone Wild” is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than what you’re thinking.  Under Byron Laviolette’s direction when clowns go wild by the end of it they’re covered in banana mush, beer, water, mushroom mush and … oh I’m sure other things.  Things I’m not necessarily sure I’d like to understand.  Also, when clowns go wild they ask for audience participation, apparently.  A LOT of it.  But we’ll get to that in a minute.

The road trip starts off like any classic road trip … with a radio battle.   With little more than a few volleys we get an immediate snapshot of who these gals are … Jasp is all Spice Girls / Cher while her sister Morro is Nirvana cranked loud and accompanied by crafty air-guitar.  When Jasp does a fantastic word for word sing-along of TLC’s Waterfalls (not the easy part … not the part we all know … the TRICKY part) and Morro remarks “How do you know that???” we get a perfect snapshot of Jasp as she replies “I spent a few days in my room learning it and I’m going to teach it to you and all your friends on this trip”.  This is an absolutely brilliant moment; clown nose or not we’ve just been given an E-Z Pass to the toll booth of this girl’s heart.

The fight  for radio dominance soon gives way to full on flashback as the girls recount the moment that got them to this trip.  Quicker than you can say “rest stop” the gals get themselves into a jam when they crash the car in the middle of nowhere with nothing but beer, Maslow, suitcase items, and condoms to help them out of their jam.  Hell, their little cell phone doesn’t even work.  Good thing they can borrow yours.

As the evening progresses each performer’s style crystallizes; Lee’s Jasp is a sweet, intellectual wide-eyed type of funny and she comes with a few bells and whistles which are crowd pleasers (a moment when she throws her voice is so astonishing that the audience was brought up short in full-on admiration).  Annis’ Morro is much more of a physical comic; she bends and twists to exaggerate her point and seems to continually find herself the recipient of an action which requires her to throw herself on the floor.

There’s a solid chemistry between the two performers, they trust each other on stage – that’s obvious – and play well off each other.  What would have made Morro and Jasp Gone Wild a slicker production for me would have been more of that interaction and far less audience participation.  Actually – NO audience participation would have given the show much better pacing.  Every time the lights went up it was like hitting a speed bump.

I find it’s always a mixed bag when audience members are asked to take center stage.   There are always three ways this can go.  1: The person chosen winds up being a total dud – gamely playing along, but a dud all the same – and whatever momentum the performance had has now been lost.   Or 2: the person chosen winds up being so self-conscious that they begin to over act, mugging wildly like a little caged bee which forces the actual performer to backpedal just to keep the bit running on course.   Best case scenario would be option 3: the person chosen just happens to know how to be a prop, nothing more, and assists the actors well enough so that the story moves forward.  Once their part is done, they meld back into the audience seamlessly without thinking everyone is staring at them (no one is).

The performance I caught had someone from each category.  I couldn’t help feeling that at those moments the talented women whose performances I was enjoying had just been hijacked by … well … audience members.

Still there is no doubt that the team of Morro and Jasp are laugh-out-loud funny; they have a way of making somewhat taboo things completely acceptable to laugh at and there were times I couldn’t believe that things which usually have me rolling my eyes were bringing forth huge, unladylike like brays of laughter.  And really, in the end, that’s the most important thing.  Some things will hit, some things might miss, but overall Morro and Jasp Gone Wild delivers as promised.  If you’re looking for wild … you’ll find it here.

~~~

Related Posts:

• Wing-Man Soars (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Neon Lights – Brighter Than The Sun … And Twice As Funny (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• VCR Love – Where Do You Go When You’re Alone?
• Barry Lubin: From Grandma To Wing-Man
• Mark Gindick Explains The Serious Business Of Clowning Around

Mark Gindick in Wing-Man (Photo by Florence Montmare)

If you were lucky enough to catch the PBS documentary Circus then you’ve already met Mark Gindick whose antics as a Big Apple Circus clown were prominently featured in that six-part mini series which followed the lives of the performers and crew during their 2008 season.  Or, you may have been lucky enough to see Mark perform live as he captured Big Apple Circus audiences with his delightful Singing In The Rain routine alongside Grandma The Clown (Barry Lubin).

Of course, you may have caught any one of a number of Mark’s other great performances with Big Apple Circus or The New York Goofs.   He’s also no stranger to The Brick’s Amuse Bouche having performed in their 2009 festival.  He now returns to The Brick for this season’s Amuse Bouche as creator and performer of Wing-Man, a show directed by Barry Lubin.  I was lucky enough to chat with these two very talented men to find out what it took to get Wing-Man off the ground.

Today I kick off the two part series with Mark.  Read on to find out how he fell into clowning, what set him on the path that changed his life, and what he’s most excited about for this year’s Amuse Bouche …

For those who enjoyed the PBS documentary Circus – many people were fortunate enough to watch as you and Barry Lubin met, formed a strong creative team, and worked on new routines together. As one of those people who enjoyed that documentary I’m thrilled to see you come together for “Wing-Man”. Tell me how meeting each other at The Big Apple Circus changed your creative paths.

MG: I’ve known Barry for a long time. It started as me going to the Big Apple Circus as a kid for many years, watching and admiring him. Then I met Barry at Clown College. I didn’t work with him much there as it just didn’t turn out that way but then Barry saw a show I did called How To Be A Man, and this is where we really hit it off. He saw it and gave me so many amazing notes, that I wish I came up with those ideas myself! From there I started studying with and working with Barry to play Grandma on the summer season of Big Apple Circus. Five years later, I got to work WITH Barry in the ring and it changed my life! We came up with this Singing in the Rain piece and it felt like we were completing each other sentences while we were working on the piece, and everything just magically came together. This is what I always look forward to when working with Barry. It’s rare to find someone that you just trust so emphatically that you feel comfortable trying anything! It is a real gift for a clown to be able to risk, and risk big!

Comedy is so broad, from stand up, to physical comedy, to the understated comedy of people like Larry David. Tell me how you discovered which type of “funny” you were – and what you did to hone your craft? In other words – when did you realize you were a true clown?

I started studying film at SUNY Purchase Film Conservatory. I wanted to be a filmmaker. I was raised on Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers so I wanted to put those physical comedy techniques into my film-making. I took time off from film school to go to the Ringling Brothers Clown College to learn those techniques but with no intention in actually become a clown myself. But when I went to clown college I was bit by the bug. Clowning chose me, not the other way around. My years of martial arts, watching the Big Apple Circus, watching the greats like Charlie Chaplin, just all came together into a perfect storm and I became a clown!

There’s got to be a different energy coming from a theatre audience as there is from a circus audience. What are the challenges of putting together a dynamic show in each environment? What works in the big tent that doesn’t work on the smaller stage? Or is it relatively the same?

I find on stage since you are not playing in a round you can play everything subtler.

Bad acting is painful to sit through, but bad clowning is positively mortifying for an audience. There is a fine line between brilliant clowning and someone just making a fool out of themselves – and some performers unfortunately never catch on. You (and Barry) are both very successful at not only putting a crowd at ease but winning them over. Tell me how you know when you’ve found that “sweet spot” in a routine – when you know you’ve hit on something that will bring the crowd to its feet.

You don’t know the sweet spot until the audience has told you you’ve hit the sweet spot. There are many times where I find something very funny in rehearsal and the audience hates it and other times when I don’t think something is going to work and someone I trust says, try it anyway, kicking and screaming I try it anyway and it kills. Truth is I never know when something is going to not just work OK, but kill, so you try everything, and you know it works when they audience goes crazy, and you say in the back of your head, “ah ha! I will do that again tomorrow!”

Finally, what do you look forward to most about being part of “Amuse Bouche“?

There are two things that I look forward to about this festival. First, you get to share this awesome art form of clowning with other clowns from different disciplines learning and sharing with each other. Just gets me charged up. Second, I’ve worked with groups, (happyclowns.com, nygoofs.com,bigapplecircus.org) and partners (Grandma, Joel Jeske, Katty Braggos) before but this show finally gives me the opportunity to try something solo, something I’ve always wanted to try and see if I can pull it off…Lets hope I can…!

~~~

Mark, I’m very much looking forward to watching you perform up close and personal in Wing-Man next week!  It will be exciting to see you do what you do best from just a few rows away.

For the rest of you, don’t miss the second part of this interview where I ask Barry Lubin, director of Wing-Man to tell me what it was like to collaborate with Mark for this production.  Meanwhile, don’t forget to check out this and all the other great shows of Amuse Bouche!

~~~

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Related Posts:

• Barry Lubin: From Grandma To Wing-Man
• Wing-Man Soars (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• The Extraordinary Fall of the Four-Legged Woman: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2016 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Neon Lights – Brighter Than The Sun … And Twice As Funny (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Morro And Jasp GONE WILD – No More Stops Left To Pull Out (Amuse Bouche NY Clown Theatre Festival)

If you were a bird and your entire kingdom consisted of the tiny cage where you slept, ate, drank, preened and otherwise just hung out you’d feel really threatened if another bird came along and tried to knock you off your perch, as it were.  Let alone another bird with habits, styles and affectations much different from yours.  If you were that bird, you’d feel threatened.  Annoyed.  Face it, you’d be Flocked.

Flocked, now playing at the Brick Theatre as part of Amuse Bouche A NY Clown Theatre Festival Hors d’Oeuvre showcases a very tiny world – a birdcage – and a very big theme: control.

When we first come upon the world of Flocked we see Pepper (Audrey Crabtree) enjoying her small but exclusive domain.  She awakens, surveys her surrounding happily, takes a drink; just a typical day in the life of a bird in a birdcage.  That is, until she notices a much larger cage set up next to hers — excitedly she waits for the footsteps of her owner and when they come closer she readies herself for the transfer to the Big Cage.  Anticlimactically, the lights go off and nothing happens.

To Pepper’s shock and dismay when morning comes she awakens to find an interloper in her midst … Chula (Gabriela  Muñoz) – a showy bird accessorized to the nines with personality bursting from every feather – has not only been granted the new cage but seems to be settling in in a way that Pepper doesn’t approve of at all.

These two birds size each other up and immediately go about trying to one up each other – Pepper in an effort to show she still rules the roost and Chula volleying back gamely in order to prove that she’s there to live in harmony.  And, if harmony won’t work … she’s not going down without a fight.

Flocked contains very few words … the occasional squawk, bird-shriek and trilling work to convey most of the meaning along with unmistakable body language.  Still, it’s hard to miss the story arc as these two birds meet, misjudge, mistrust, match wits, mix it up, make peace and eventually miss each other.  Throughout it all each bird both celebrates and skewers the idea of what it means to be an American (bird) and what it means to be a Mexican (bird).  Cultural stereotypes are raised only to be swatted away or broken open like a pinata.

Interestingly, Crabtree and Muñoz, while both doing much the same thing, have completely different styles, physicality and places where they aim in order to get the laugh.  Crabtree has a bolder swagger with a lot of her humor finding its way to the audience through subtly tossed off moments (some of which are almost internalized) while Muñoz goes for cute, with a broad style that makes sure every humorous moment is advertised with a loud neon sign.  I immediately warmed to one of the actresses while my guest for the evening identified with the other.  This made for an interesting conversation afterwards as we realized the style we related to revealed layers of our own personalities and identified the lens through which we filter our own personal world.  Fascinating.

While on the surface Flocked looks simple and sweet  - nothing more than a mime about birds – it’s actually a complex bit of theatre which highlights basic human (and presumably bird) themes with humor and finesse.  One more show tonight – catch it before it flies away.

~~~

Related Posts:

• Wing-Man Soars (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Neon Lights – Brighter Than The Sun … And Twice As Funny (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Barry Lubin: From Grandma To Wing-Man
• Morro And Jasp GONE WILD – No More Stops Left To Pull Out (Amuse Bouche NY Clown Theatre Festival)
• Mark Gindick Explains The Serious Business Of Clowning Around