Absinthe and Beyond: Artistic and Physical Energy

The performance of Absinthe at Spiegelworld on Friday, at South Street Seaport, was an intimate, stunning tour-de-force. I sat with my date at the very front, literally just a foot or two away from the small circular stage. Knowing the show would be an erotically-charged cabaret performance, rather like a small-scale adult-version of Cirque de Soleil, we both expected that we would probably be involved in the theatrics of the evening. And we weren't disappointed.


Absinthe features a series of performances and theatrics, tied together by a slinky MC cabaret singer hostess and two comic, acrobatic performers. A 2006 review of the show on NY Times gives an adept synopsis of the show, but also reveals that the performers and their acts are varied with the show. The NY Times review features the act of a man in a bathtub, which was entirely absent from the performance I saw Friday. Regardless, the acts highlighted an unbelievable array of the acrobatically impressive and skilled to the comic and the bawdy. A more recent review of Absinthe, along with another Spiegelworld show, La Vie, from 2007, can be seen here. As the review states, be prepared for the intimacy of the show and possible audience participation.

The act which my date was called to participate in involved the "married couple" comic hosts who introduced their act as a demonstration on how to correctly make use of bananas in erotic play. Their performance consisted of shooting banana bites from their mouths across the stage into the mouth of their partner -- and also an attempt to shoot banana bites into the mouth of my date. As their act wound down, the bites became chewed up, processed banana sludge which they continued to switch back and forth.

This sort of jarring physical humor was balanced with acts purely gorgeous and breathtaking in their grace, from a hula-hooping gymnast/contortionist to a roller-skating couple whose finale included the woman attached to her partner by neck-braces and her whirling in the air, turning her entire body while only supported by her neck.

And the act which I was included in: an incredibly robotic, mechanical-styled dancer who lip-synced snippets of the song, and in a "low battery" pause, took my hand to have me "power him up" and stage-snuck a kiss on the lips with me.

Needless to say, it was a fun, fully captivating evening.

And, not to diminish my enjoyment of and satisfaction with the evening, the weekend continued in the same vein. Saturday I went dancing with a few friends of mine at Cattyshack, a ladies' club in Park Slope.

We stayed there, mostly dancing, until closing time at 4:00 am. The spirit of dancing camaraderie bordered on the libidinous. While there, we all donned creatures-of-the-night personas, temporarily paused in a collective dance trance, transported to a world apart from our daily cares.

And the next evening, Sunday, I found myself in a friend-of-a-friend's apartment in Harlem for a dinner party. In addition to my friend, I had only met one other person before. The evening felt like a throwback to a college dorm night, where a group of people sat discussing life and love and work. Having this sort of evening engaging in ponderous, meaningful and personal conversation was refreshing.

And so this weekend perfectly encapsulated my idealization of NYC culture at its height: a heady mix of the personal and anonymous, where we can both, and even simultaneously, lose ourselves and intimately connect, on emotional and physical levels.

"Xanadu": The Musical

Before I saw "Xanadu" saw last night, I knew very little about it, only that it was a Broadway show and featured Whoopi Goldberg. I also had a vague idea that Xanadu stood for some kind of utopian idea and/or place, similar to Shangri-La. Unsure of what to expect once in the theater (Helen Hayes Theater, apparently once called Little Theater for its diminutive size) and seeing the modest stage featuring additional audience seats, I found that the unassuming size was more than compensated for with the set and costume design. I found that I got into the performance more than I had expected, and I was surrounded by an even more enthusiastic audience.

The performance, a fun, 80's-theme spectacle, focuses on Sonny Malone, a down-on-his-luck artist, and the Greek Muses who help him or are otherwise peripherally involved. Whoopi Goldberg plays one of the two matronly Olympian Muses; these two Muses develop their own plan to curse the Muse Clio into falling in love with him (which Muses are forbidden to do) so that they, and not she, might have the opportunity to enter Xanadu. What is Xanadu, the one Muse asks the other? Something so special it cannot be talked about, says the other. And thus mystified, the prospect of entering Xanadu is that much more enticing. They break into a spirited song entitled "Evil Woman," rejoicing over their evil intentions, and they finish with a cackle (to which the audience responds wildly).

The show primarily follows Clio - masquerading as an Australian rollerskating mortal named Kira - and Sonny, as she works to help him regain his inspiration, and the artistic and romantic developments that ensue. The plot is interspersed with songs, rollerskating, and jive-talking dramatics. Clio, or Kira to Sonny, finds herself in a torment as she realizes she has done several things forbidden to Muses: she has fallen in love, and she has made her own artwork. She has helped Sonny to fulfill his dream of opening up his fantasized meeting place for arts and athletics: a roller disco, and she decides that now is when she must flee. I won't spoil the plot any further, except to remind you that the show is a comedy and not a tragedy, if you wonder what happens next.



I have subsequently learned that the Broadway show is loosely based off the 1980 movie, Xanadu. The term Xanadu, it turns out, is borrowed from a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Kubla Khan, or A Vision in a Dream. A Fragment." In the poem, Xanadu is the Chinese province where Khan situates his pleasure garden. In the show, Xanadu simply means "true love and the ability to create and share art."

An enjoyable musical comedy with substantial flair, from the costumes and the rollerskating, to the sarcastic remarks made by Whoopi and company, "Xanadu" was impressive for what it was. I learned furthermore that the movie basis of the show was a horrendous failure until it eventually regained an audience and became an 80's cult classic. From "Xana-don't," as the movie became dubbed, to the Broadway adaptation, the show is non-stop campy fun. As New York Magazine puts it, it is "Springtime for 'Xanadu' ."

"Xanadu" plays until September 7. The official site is here: Xanadu on Broadway.

Broadway -- Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy (Indeed)

So I bought three tickets to see Cirque Dreams: Jungle Fantasy on Broadway last month as a surprise gift to my father who was visiting right around Father's Day. His flight was supposed to be arriving about an hour and a half before the show, and my sister agreed on the plan. She hesitated though: wasn't there a possibly sub-optimal weather forecast for that evening for both NYC and his departure city? I waved this off and spontaneously bought the tickets, feeling clever and proud of my plan.

Sure enough, his flight was delayed and, because of my ongoing questioning of when he thought he would arrive and so on, we neither saw the show nor did he arrive without having a very good hunch of what I might be scheming. Still, I suppose it's the sentiment that counts; my father did indeed appreciate the thought, and hopefully another time I will be able to surprise him with a show. Regarding the tickets: the theater allows past-dating, and my plan is to see Cirque Dreams tonight finally! http://www.cirqueproductions.com/ To see a little clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErdwXm4UnTE

I will report back later on how the show is tonight!

LATER

I was very skeptical and anxious at the show's outset that it was primarily geared towards kids. A glimpse at the row in front of us, all girls and their moms/chaperones, further confirmed this suspicion. Yet, very quickly, the show developed to reveal a breathtaking spectacle for the enjoyment of children and adults alike. Yes, there was even adult humor in the show. Initially embarrassed by the childlike humor of the show, the over-the-top costumes, and the very typical musical theatricality of the performance, I was soon deeply, if not fully, enraptured.

Full of unbelievable contortionism, acrobatics, glittering and glowing costumes of a variety of jungle creatures (from frogs to ostriches to giant flowers), and amazing acts featuring a variety of largely very original props, the performance soon exceeded not only my initial response but my earlier optimistic expectations. Sitting there watching the absolutely polished choreographed performance, I was enthralled by the potential flexibility and aerodynamics of the human body.

Not being particularly fond of show tunes, my only criticism of this show was the soundtrack. This annoyance, however, was not only diminished by the otherwise entirely stunning performance, but also by the live violin player on stage. This musician livened and enhanced the theatrical music; furthermore, he had a spirited stage presence and even provided impressive interactions with other performers, including the few instances when dancers fully wrapped themselves neatly around his torso and he simply continued his energetic playing.

If you are particularly interested in acrobatics, circus performances, and/or costumes, or simply want to see an energizing performance, this show comes strongly recommended. http://cirquedreamsbroadway.com/