Dubbed a "peepshow/diorama performance," The Reptile Under the Flowers brings LA visual/theater artist Janie Geiser back to the Foshay Masonic Lodge for another must-see event. I still shiver now years after visiting an earlier "walkthrough performance" by Geiser. It was also at the Masonic Lodge (which itself is a space to be experienced!). Geiser had staged a tale across several mini-stages on which artists controlled puppets who performed the story. Visitors moved quietly in groups of five or six from stage to stage, peering into each vignette and piecing together the story. Strangers quickly became intimate as we found ourselves pushing forward together to see more, and as we realized we were experiencing something both magical and transformative. The story grew increasingly intense, the almost silent drama moving toward its tragic conclusion such that, by the last stage, everyone in my group was pressed in close to witness the indescribably sad demise of our heroine. Afterwards, as a group, we stumbled back out into the lobby of the Lodge, which acted as an anachronistic gateway buffering the return to the real world. Geiser, who avoids the term "puppet show" for good reason, produces performances that stun and amaze, offering visitors powerful and wonderful visual/theatrical/storytelling experiences unlike anything else. If you want to experience Geiser's newest show, get your tickets now!
the details:The Reptile Under the Flowers
May 21 - 24, 2009
Multiple performances nightly, with afternoon matinees May 23 and 24
Foshay Masonic Lodge
9365 Venice Boulevard, Culver City
Tickets here
Subscribe to Blur + Sharpen's feed.
I'm not a huge fan of conceptual art or performance, but I like idea of people being in the same space together. Like being on a city street.
this show is beautiful. i saw it tonight. definitely not your everyday experience with puppetry.