Daniel Dvorin - Cultural Passport: November

§ December 16th, 2008 § Filed under Assignments, Cultural Passport

Rhythmic Virtuosity and Glamorous Comedy Come Together in Harmony

Walking down the aisle to the very first row of the theatre felt as if I was walking towards a DJ since the stage was set up to resemble a club. There were blacklights suspended from the ceiling and house music playing with a good amount of bass in the background.
The Asian performers sprinted onto the stage with unlimited energy. This introductory display gave us a taste of how skilled each performer was. There were 11 males and 3 females.
The next scene began developing the story line. The background scenery consisted of pages of a book. The backdrop flipped as the story progressed. It begins with 5 convicts and 1 drill sergeant. As he makes them do yard work, the comedy kicks in. They satire him in a slick way that fits the show, but the degree of hilarity increases drastically when each character develops a personality. The funniest of the bunch, is Joker, the clumsy yet witty one. He repeatedly does something outrageous. The fact that he has extreme talent in comedy does not undermine his skills as a “break dancer.” The show continues with this medley of dance and comedy.
An interactive component was mixed into the production. The performers chose people from the audience to act as props or be the “laughing stock” of the theatre. A colleague that I saw the show with, Jasper Cunneen, was chosen as the “frog.” In the duration of one scene, they pointed out Jasper at least 3 times.
The finale, after the performers take their bow, consists of two men from the show breaking out with their own blend of talent. It was a beat box masterpiece that would make any show worth seeing, and complemented a fantastic show such as this one.
Break-Out runs through November 30, 2008 in the Union Square Theatre on Park Avenue and E. 17th Street, NYC.