Meet Anna.  In Anna & The Annadroids: Memoirs of a Robot Girl - an  interesting combination of modern dance, techno music, social commentary, science fiction, multimedia, and a bit of burlesque – Anna  is an android who is made of  ”pure synthetic organic flesh”.  So instead of being made only of metal with a “mind full of microchips” she’s got a heart filled with “…love…passion…confusion…pure sexuality”.  The dancing and aerial acrobatics of Anna Sullivan (Anna), are accompanied with ambient, driving techno beats created by various artists which she performs while wearing beautiful costumes created by Elizabeth Harzoff.  The acrobatics seem to correspond to times of dreams (whether regular or daydreams) as something seems to be making her concentrate on something other than reality.

The rest of Anna’s real life, including two other characters (the Doctor and Nurse) are represented by projected comic/graphic novel style drawings (expertly done by Natalya Kolosowsky and Grace Passerotti) and robotic sounding voices which lie in striking contrast to Anna’s very “human” sounding voice which we hear in the interludes between dances.

Coming of age for an organic robot with an increased capacity to dream can be quicker than expected, and can sometimes be dealt with cruelly.  During her few days portrayed in this show we see her cope with basic emotions of belonging and we watch her struggle with working in an ad business which requires her to “feel” what she doesn’t feel in order to sell products.  She can’t possibly live that type of lifestyle as she is an android living by herself most of the time.  It seems the main conflicts arise from the Doctor who created her.   (Or, more to the point, switched her on, as it is inferred that Anna is just one of the Annadroid models in a long android line).  He assumes she will think the way he thinks because he programmed her a certain way.  The sensual components seem to be a drawback for the owners of Amerifluff (the fictional company which created Anna), but are a great pro for us, the audience, because it powers Anna’s dancing … which is her way of exploring her struggle to understand what it means to be “human” even if it is only in her synthetically created way.

An Annadroid being born

Lighting  is very important in this show – whether a spotlight following Anna as she dances (or is in the air), or the subtle colors that complement the video projects on the screen,  lighting designer Michelle Marcus does an exceptional job at blending it all in.  There are a few art video components of the show (Plastic Pleasures, Touchy Buttons, and Love Dream were all done by James Tyler) which are high quality and deal with the  issues of consumerism as well as illustrate the emptiness of many modern relationships due to technology.  These videos help advance the plot along as we realize that Anna the Annadroid is becoming more and more discontent with the commercial culture in which she has become enmeshed via her creation.  It’s torturing her,  due to the emotions hardwired into her circuitry – ironically added to make her better connect with customers.

And she dreams … because it is so much more real than real life.  Eventually (2 days after her creation) she wanders into a club and leaves a “hot mess”.  This creates bad publicity for Amerifluff so it is decided to put Anna in the Annadroid dungeon for a bit.  Later she will be reprogrammed without the emotional capabilities she was originally bestowed because they only lead to “inefficiency”.

Annadroid in dungeon

There is then a very touching scene near the end called Rewind-A-Spine that documents Anna restitching her personality to deal with the madness that is the Annadroid dungeon but also represents the brief pieces of Humanity she has interacted with.  Much of the musical accompaniment is driving yet almost trance inducing techno by many artist including: David Morneu, Anna Sullivan, Jennifer Agnew, (and additional audio and sound design by Allen Dicenzo).

All in all it is well worth seeing if you like android fiction, thoughtful burlesque or simply beautiful modern dance.  Only a few more shows left to explore Anna live in New York, before she only becomes a virtual presence on the internet via the Amerifluff site.

~~~

Anna & The Annadroids: Memoirs of a Robot Girl
Writer: Anna Sullivan; Music, Forest Christenson and David Morneau; Illustrations Grace Passerotti and Natalya Kolosowsky; Videos, Brent Haley and James Pryor
Director: Anna Sullivan
Choreographer: Anna Sullivan

0h 45m

www.amerifluff.com/memoirs.html
VENUE #5: Dixon Place
Sun 21 @ 8:15 Mon 22 @ 5:30

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Once upon a time...  How that can roll off one’s tongue with a savor that is like the sun kissing your forehead on a sweet summer’s night, as the glowing orb burrows into its deep red cave in the sky.  This is truly storytelling (with properly credentialed and sincere storytellers from the world famous International School of Storytelling).  Michael & Caja based in The Hague make a great team telling this story.

Michael Driebeek van der Ven begins A way of Man by giving a brief introduction about the story and the nature of storytelling, including a note that – since the point of storytelling is to help us envision things in one’s mind’s eye  – if the audience wants, we are welcomed to close our eyes and no judgements would be made. Van der Ven is also is responsible for the very subtle yet dramatic dimming and brightening of the lights which help us move through the transitions of seasons and scenes and senses.

Caja van der Poel tells us an old story called De Kleine Johannes written in 1886 by a famous Dutch psychiatrist/writer Frederik van Eeden who coined the term “lucid dream”.  The English translation is called The Quest and while you can download and read it,  truly what you see at this performance is that storytelling truly is an art.

Asalia Khadjé made the beautiful dress that Caja wears in this performance.

This story is sort of like a science-fiction story where humans are the supernatural figure in a way.  We follow a young boy who makes his way to becoming a man, with all due reflection and curiosity and bravery that anyone could ask … And a love/hate/respect for Being Human.  Johnathan starts as a boy full of wonder.  So full of wonder that the fantastic reaches out to him and invites him to be their friend.  There is a prejudice against Humans but Johnathan still is curious enough, homesick enough, exploratory enough that he gets sucked back in as a teenager and has to deal with the complexities of learning how to be Human after being a changeling for so many years.

Because of the many influences that the author van Eeden had there are many layers to this story and it is still very relevant today as we traverse the new technologies that make us question what it means to be Human or to “grow up” (whatever that means).

Come see this show while you can, whether young or old, its a moving story that I think everyone needs to hear.  And Michael & Caja are some of the most emotive and sensitive storytellers I’ve ever met, and they’ll give you their card at the end to stay in touch.  So join the experience while it lasts.

~~~

A way of Man
Michael&Caja
Writer: Caja van der Poel, based on the book by F. van Eeden
Director: Michael Driebeek van der Ven

1h 25m

VENUE #3: CSV Kabayitos
Sat 20 @ 9:15 Wed 24 @ 8 Sat 27 @ 8 Sun 28 @ 2

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What’s the difference between a janitor and a custodian? It’s all about a sense of responsibility for what you care for.  The Custodian is a story about trying to find one’s way in the world, the complexities of love, and one normal man’s struggle to learn how to fight back against the messy carelessness of superheroes creating a codependent relationship with the regular citizens of New York by saying they need to save the world from disaster and then making the people trapped under the rubble of their battles beg to be rescued.

The Custodian (written and directed by Will Lacker) opens upon a messy apartment where a man is avidly playing a video game.  All of sudden another man (played by Kevin Alan) in a bright yellow getup comes out of the shadows.  Is this our first look at a superhero in this play?  We quickly find out he is announcing another tussle between super hero and super villain … and the effect it is having on traffic (this announcer’s specialty). Kevin returns time and time again as the voice of the world outside the apartment whether as announcer or as a trivia savant who gives the other characters special bits of information to help them understand more arcane facts that they (or the audience) need to know.

Kevin does a great job of conveying the excitement and investment the world seems to have in the exploits of superheroes.  He also gives the underlying fear of collateral damage that is unsaid but sometimes seen in his face.  Sound and lighting is done expertly by Matt Wharton who brings us deeply resonate thuds, thumps and crashes of the scary world outside the apartment which is never seen.

The clever costumes by Sara Lukasiewicz and Laurel Casillo (who plays Wanda) illustrate flamboyancy of the world outside in the glimpses we get.

In this story what our hero, Max (played by Eryck Tate), cares for is nothing less than New York City, and he isn’t used to having such large passionate feelings, so his transformation from a normal everyman to The Custodian is a tough one.  He has an eccentric roommate Remi (played by Nick Hepsoe), who has obsessions with trivia, Gina Davis and a “commitment” to video games, as well as a trust fund to support his habits.

His girlfriend Wanda (played by Laurel Casillo) is always being supportive and her father gets Max an interview which seems like it might be far up on the ladder of success (“data entry” – an exciting possibility to Max), but the job is of custodian.  He is sent home with a mop to work on his mopping skills.

Later Max wakes up to his “day off” and an urgent call from his supervisor Manuello that he’s “needed urgently” to help sweep up the four floors of smashed glass caused by a superhero.  Only you can save us!

Added to the mix is a story of an old yet mysterious friend of Remi’s named Fing (played by Adam Delia), a wild-man guerilla fighter just out of Uganda who will be staying with them for an “indefinite” period of time.  Wanda is at first repulsed by Fing, but soon a chemistry beginning to develop.

With disaster threatening to take down the city, and Wanda’s life in peril, what can they do to stop the careless rampaging of superheroes?  Then the answer comes in a flash (a muddled confused and almost incoherent flash) of mental agility.

Kidnap a superheroes sidekick!

It seems wrong and yet so right.   A plan is made and we see the wheels of transformation happen to all in this gang of would-be crusaders.

See the show while you can for a great mix of laughs, ethical dilemmas, and great chemistry both between and within the characters as they all change into something closer to their true selves as we see the birth of  The Custodian!

~~~

The Custodian
Five Flights Theater Company
Writer: Will Lacker
Director: Will Lacker

1h 45m

www.fiveflightstheatercompany.org
VENUE #6: The Living Theatre
Thu 18 @ 8 Wed 24 @ 2 Sat 27 @ 7

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