By Ernest Kearney — A horizontal tango.
A wailing of loneliness.
A cleaning of the stage accompanied by a smothering profusion of lavender.
A poor soul named Luther.
“The Loneliness of walking into a Crowd.”
Other inmates.
Beautiful language:
“All men are lower than a snake’s protruding belly;”
“Like a storm of hammers and a rain of nails;”
“ I can’t go there in my head;”
“Keep Ignoring Nasty Ghosts….”
K.I.N.G.
An Elvis Impersonator.
Pat Kinevane, native of Cobh, County Cork, does the poetic ranks of the ancient Celtic filid proud, he certainly does.
This was powerfully proven by his previous shows Forgotten, Silent, Underneath and Before.
All the elements that made those shows exceedingly potent performances are present in King. Mister Kinevan claims that King is “inspired by the message of Martin Luther King Jr.”
Where exactly that “inspiration” lurks in this riveting and intriguing sonnet of insanity was beyond the scope of this reviewer to discern.
And my effort throughout the evening to follow Kinevane’s mish mash weave of meditative, mystifying, and, yes, marginally magical threads through his thematic maze to the core of inspiration emanating from one of the great souls of the civil rights movement, fell short of that quest. To quote the playwright performer, “It doesn’t get any easier.”
While in this case, unlike Mister Kinevane’s others shows, the “parts” seem to betray the fact that there is no “whole”; the overall effect is not unlike standing before a large Jackson Pollack canvas.
You may not discern the larger statement, but you definitely realize there’s a conversation going on.
Mister Kinevane not only echoes the stage with beautiful words but fills it with shimmering images by the artist, statements in a physical language etched both elegantly and emotionally.
A large, broad presence, Mister Kinevane, with an alchemist’s artistry, transmutes himself with grace, intelligence and compassion, and creates a sonnet of humanity’s insecurities and insanities.
Adding to the glorious illusions on stage are Denis Clohessy (composer and sound designer,) Pius McGarth and the Odyssey’s Katelan Braymer, Catherine Condell (Stylist,) José Miguel Jimenez (as the voice of “Tang,”) Kristian Chaloir and Julian Brigatti (choreographers,) Eve Scanlan (Fishshamble producer,) and Director Jim Culleton.
The results are a performance that is part silent movie, part kabuki, a mirroring of Dylan Thomas’ Welsh village Llareggub; a stylish sigilism with a Tango pace.
Who needs a thematic destination when the trip is so rewarding.
Click HERE to see the final performance
Sunday, 2pm
May 5
at
Odyssey – Theatre 3
2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. ,
Los Angeles, CA 90025
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