Visiting Minneapolis for a family event (see next post), I decided to finally see a performance at the renowned Guthrie Theater. The piece is Refugia, a meditation of sorts on displaced people, climate and other stuff. This was developed by The Moving Company, which emerged in 2009 from the Tony Award winning Theater de la Jeune Lune, presumably known for its visually rich style combining clown, mime, dance and opera. I can firmly report that all of that is present in Refugia. At intermission, my partner ran into a local theater friend from high school who perhaps said it best: “it’s very Jeune Lune.” He and his companions were planning to skip Act II and go to the bar. Enough said but I’ll add a little more.
When entering the theater, the set is a magnificent airline hanger or warehouse or industrial complex. Expectations are raised to a grand scale. What follows cannot begin to match the surroundings. The vignettes are a hodgepodge of simplistic, one dimensional storytelling, combined with unrealized attempts at slapstick farce and pretentious operatic seriousness. Plus there is an tribal painted African woman dancing with a polar bear. While watching the Syrian refugee section, I kept thinking about the intense Oscar nominated documentaries this year instead of this basic dialogue. On the plus side, there were a few moments when the piece seemed to be approaching lift off, only to jarringly morph into something stupid. I did enjoy everything Rendah Heywood did with her roles. However, having sat through this three hour contrivance, I understand why the bar option was chosen.
Watch the great documentary shorts on the Syrian refugee crisis instead: 4.1 Miles, The White Helmets and Wantani: My Homeland.