Untitled Document

Review - Trapped From the Fringe Festival
Filed under 4 Star Shows - Also Darn Good
Day 9, Friday 8/12 - 7pm (show #47)

Trapped from Dugodug Productions at the Southern Theater
*Last* performance - Saturday (TODAY) 8/13 at 1pm

This may be what they mean by “too much of a good thing”
There’s a lot of talent and a whole lot going on in Trapped.
So much that it’s kind of hard to sort it out.

But really, that’s so much better a problem to have at a Fringe show
than a complete absence of talent or anything happening on stage that I
decided to be grateful for the overabundance of good stuff.

At a certain point, I just decided to go with it. But I do feel as
though I probably missed things.

According to the program, the production is supposed to have some kind
of narrative through-line. Even if you set the program aside, the
performance itself seems to be indicating a story. But neither version
is entirely clear to me.

There is an explorer (Doug Mackie), journeying...somewhere.
Destination’s really not the issue, so that’s not a problem.

For some reason, he is accompanied by - or perhaps encounters - a man
(Gregory Grube) and a woman (Cindy Severt). And then there’s the
ballerina (Kersten Rowley). And the trapeze artist (Disa Carneol).

(Don’t ask, I have no idea. Like I said, I went with it).

The explorer sets up camp and beds down for the night and then we
Appear to spend a lot of time in a dreamscape of his devising. Many and
various are the kinds of dances and the pairings involved, and the music
follows along in its variety.

(In a musical call-back moment that only happens in our peculiar little
Fringe, there’s a tango sequence that I swear is set to the love theme
from the film "The Godfather," which of course is prominently featured
in that other runaway Fringe hit Corleone. A tango version of the love
theme from "The Godfather," with lyrics. I’m not making this up.)

Then, toward the end, the explorer has a voiceover journal entry that
indicates he’s going on some kind of exploratory spelunking. He
descends from the rafters and finds the woman (the one from the pair, not the ballerina or the trapeze artist).

There’s some gorgeous aerial work between the two of them. Solo, duo,
spinning, trailing yards of white gauzy fabric, swooping out toward the
audience and back. It’s a knock-out, and worth the entire price of
admission (even though the show has all that and a whole lot more to
offer.)

And then everybody reappears and they help the explorer ascend...
...back to the surface?

...to his death and the afterlife?

...assuming even that last bit was also part of the dream and not an
exploration in reality, they’re helping him back up to consciousness?
Just like Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz?"

That’s where it all got kind of fuzzy for me. If they’re only dream
companions, what are they doing hanging around at the very beginning?
If they’re both real and pop up in his dreams, what’s that all about?

But, of course, if it’s dreams we’re talking about, it doesn’t
necessarily have to make sense. I guess I was just looking for it to
have its own logic.

But the reality or unreality is not my real issue with the show. It
comes back to the “too much” issue.

The dancers/aerialists all have their own individual territory that
they
cover, their own routine. Often it’s all on stage at the same time. But
there’s no real indication where you should focus your attention.

For instance, in the “something for everyone” category, I felt a little
bad for the trapeze artist during one section when on the periphery of
my vision she was clearly going for broke and doing some amazing
tricks.

However, at the same time, for me, a hot male dancer in leather pants
and a mesh tank top with one nipple exposed prancing about is going to
trump anything else within a 50 foot radius of the stage.

(I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, I’m weak and shallow.)

Now, that may very well be an intentional strategy. But it still leaves
me with the nagging feeling I missed something. And since I’m still not
entirely sure what the production was about, I feel like maybe it’s one
of those things I missed that would provide the missing piece.

Honestly, though, it was almost enough just to have the privilege of
watching them all go through their paces. None of them are holding
back. There were times, including the post-show strike to make room for the
next show, when I feared for their safety. But they’re an agile bunch.
I’m sure they were never in any real danger - dangling and spinning
included.

But my, oh my, Trapped is spectacular to watch.
Your last chance to catch Trapped is today, Saturday 8/13 at 1pm.
Highly recommended.

—Matthew Everett