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.

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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

Deck The Hallmans!

Let’s face it, the holiday season is all about getting family together.  And as much as we’d all like to think that that’s a good thing, the truth is that when family members are forced to spend hours on end in the same house it can often spell chaos – which is the main thrust of The Brick’s production of Deck The Hallmans! (improvised by the ensemble and directed by Audrey Crabtree).

Too many generations mingling with too many lifestyles which are sometimes in direct conflict with each other; old traditions that aren’t cherished anymore, versus old heirlooms that are given too much value; hidden agendas nestled in among the good wishes and feigned merriment, all wrapped up with a nice bow.  Throw in a little improv, some choreographed punches, and the Hallmans find themselves thoroughly Decked.

I liked the loose improv of this show, which begins with Dave the security guy (Played by Director Audrey Crabtree) thoroughly policing the crowd.  Ms. Crabtree has great ironic timing and, when asking the crowd for nuggets that will become seeds of the story (such as names of childhood pets, issues you have with your parents, or ideas for where the family last may have gotten together) she has a way of getting a laugh from the most pedestrian of answers.  Naturally comic and comically natural she keeps the plot moving along and adds just the right touch between scenes as we spend what almost seems like Christmas Eve played out in real time.

The family consists of blissfully quaint dad Bob Hallman (Robert Honeywell) who invites the rest of his family to “come into my office” whenever he thinks they need a heart to heart, his wife Carol (Moira Stone – who displays shades of SNL vet Mary Gross) a devoted housewife who dithers about cooking her “slow food”,  the twins Chris and Chrissy played simultaneously (with the switch of a hat) by Lauri Berritta, eccentric Aunt Lily (Alyssa Simon) who does experimental theatre and wafts into the room like a hipster version of Vera Charles.  Add to this a curmudgeonly old Grandma (Iracel Rivero) , her male nurse (Jonathan Kaplan), Laverne the frisky neighbor (Donetta Riley), a blowhard uncle (Lynn Berg) and eventually a crazy ex wife (also Audrey Crabtree) and there’s enough here to keep the night moving along with plenty to riff off of.

Interspersed throughout the night are Adam Swiderski’s choreographed fights, some of which play out comically well, some of which are cartoonish (but intentionally so) and some of which are a bit of a stretch.  Still, the mood remains in tact throughout, and aside from a few glitches (As this is an improv show I had the feeling something went wrong as the cast displayed various stages of boredom waiting for dinner to be done … and no one knew where to pick it up.  Still, this was more a missed opportunity rather than a solid misstep) it was fun to watch the cast incorporate the audience’s ideas.  The final fight which had the entire cast at each other throats is reminiscent of a live-action version of some day dreams we’ve all no doubt had at the holiday dinner-table.  All in all Deck the Hallmans! is a satisfying pre-holiday gear up to the petty arguments and full blown fights that, no doubt, will grace some homes this season.

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Related Posts:

• … And Then She DIES At The End! – On Why Even Nicholas Sparks Can Be A Hero (Fringe Festival 2012)
• Crapshoot! Liquor, Laughs and Luck O’ The Dice
• Ye Elizabeths: Living Vicariously Because … (2012 Planet Connections Festivity)
• Radio City – Just For Tourists? Think Again …
• Flocked (Amuse Bouche – NY Clown Theatre Festival)