Fool for Love

I tend to stay away from "show" relationships. I convince myself that I should keep things "professional." The "work" comes first and my "feelings" a distant second or third place even if one of my cast mates is so beautiful that my heart melts every time I see her. Maybe I'm afraid that something "weird" might happen during the dating process and we have to deal with all that awkwardness for the rest of the run. Maybe I'm waiting for the show to end to make my "move," using all that rehearsal time and performance to see if a) she's available in the first place and b) interested in me in the slightest. Most times this approach backfires on me and that special someone starts seeing someone else, completely unaware of my affection. And maybe I'm afraid of the rejection. Maybe I just don't want to get burned again. I once asked a cast mate out and her only response was, "Ooohh, that's cute..." After a few seconds of silence waiting for a more concrete answer from her I walked off embarrassed.

There are many questions that we artists face throughout our life and times. The last couple of shows this year at The Brick have tried to answer some of those questions. Dealing with plagiarism (Buran Theatre's Nightmares), government/artistic entitlements (Lamb Lays with Lion's Entitlement) and the love/hate relationship our families have with our artful career choices (New Saloon's William Shakespeare's Mom). And now Dangerous Ground will expand this unintentional theme and explore the questions of love that arise with on-stage/screen relationships with L’Amour Fou, a stage adaptation of the Jacques Rivette's 1969 film (not to be confused with the 2010 Yves Saint-Laurent documentary of the same name). 

Jacques Rivette and Bulle Ogier on the set of L'Amour fou, photo by Pierre Zucca

The movie/play centers around the production of Racine's Andromaque with the lead actress and director's marriage falling apart  while a film crew documents both the rehearsal process and a crazy love-chain that rivals the Greeks. Thanks to Dangerous Ground and director/designer Doris Mirescu, this play within a movie is now a play within a play within a movie within a multi-media landscape, dramatically altering The Brick's stage, that looks to explore the dialogue between the original movie and this adaptation. Where Rivette switches between 16 and 35mm film to capture his saga, Mirescu switches between live staging and video projection. 

This dialogue exchange is very timely, given the circumstances of when the movie was shot. Filmed in the wake of the failed 60s revolutions, Mirescu sees plenty of parallels between then and some of the failed revolutions we've recently experienced in the last few years like the Occupy movement. But the hope is still there to make those things happen (we hope). And with this production, Mirescu hopes to continue the questions of what it means to be an artist/creator. Are we allowed to be free and be innovators? And how does love interfere with all of it? And so, where Rivette left off, Dangerous Ground looks to pick up and run with it, in what Mirescu hopes to be the beginning of a trilogy. 

L’Amour Fou
February 14 – March 10, 2013

Written by Jacques Rivette and Marilù Parolini

Conceived, designed and directed by Doris Mirescu

Set/Clothes/Art Direction: Doris Mirescu
Lights: Kira Davies
Set & Technical Supervision/Video & sound installation: Marshall Miller
Live Cameras: Craig Newman, Doron Bloomfield, Suzannah Hoffman
Live Guitar: Gabriel Stranahan
Assistant to the Director: Doron Bloomfield

With: Sarah Baskin*, Brooke Bell, Kira Davies, Penny Folger, Gayle Greene*, Susannah Hoffman*, Melissa Hudson, Bree Merkwan, Craig Newman, David Skeist*, Mickey Solis*, William Paul Smith, Gabriel Stranahan

*Appearing courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association

For tickets visit www.bricktheater.com or OvationTix.

Until next time...choo, choo, choose me!