The new fringe theatre company, StageRight has its very first production with Seeing Myself Consumed: A Christmas Spectacular. The show is written and directed by Brendan Mack with Natalie Saxon as the “Performance Artist”. The Performance Art Aria Series premiered in Syracuse, New York in 2007 and was conceived by Meggie Doyle and Brendan Mack.
The new company will be a welcomed troupe for Seattle, which not too long ago lost the annual Fringe Festival because of tight arts funding. I enjoyed all aspects of StageRight including the performance art. It is so different than mainstream theatre offerings. An act can be as brief as 15 minutes and performers strive for relevant material in today’s world. Well done performance art has elements of time, space and relationship between the performer’s body and the audience; very little is off limits for performance art.
This is the holiday season where everywhere you turn; music, films, theatre and company events celebrate Christmas and the mass consumerism that goes hand in hand. And this production is your ticket to a break from the usual. It’s unconventional from the start. As the audience arrives they have to sign a contract agreeing not to walk out during any of the 110 minutes of the performance. The cast of nine, with Ms. Saxon will amuse you on a number of levels with a mock-performance art mixed with Christmas stuff.
Ms. Saxon tries to give a serious look and performance piece about consumerism starting with the cult of the iPod. She’s somber about her art despite all the road blocks that keep popping up for her with Brendan, the stage manager and the rest of the cast. She wants to put on a serious performance art piece about consumerism, but her Christmas-loving stage manager convinces her to add Christmas songs and dances to entertain the audience. It doesn’t quite go as planned. This is all tied together with dance, song, gymnastics and even silence during the 110 minutes. The cast present a small Christmas pageant but that doesn’t last long. I enjoyed the number about Blatant Propaganda with High Fructose. Who knew high fructose could make you bald? See, this is not your usual holiday show. So if you want something way off the beaten path this season check out this StageRight production.
Seeing Myself Consumed: A Christmas Spectacular runs through December 19, 2009 and the final two performances are already sold out for Saturday. Full price $30 tickets supports this fringe theater. If you need a discount, tickets for $15 are also available with a discount code available on their website. Visit seattlestageright.org for all the details.
– Ethel W.
