August 21, 1992 THE AUSTIN WEEKLY NEWS ------- . r - - "Zke ale\ ·" "~~" : 'rr.M . 1R':r:•£•J WOMANBINGO ts a dizzying, In the bayou I See incredible race-reversing smorgasbord of x­ dlvaR on collision course! WOM­ rated burlesque, a serious politi­ ANUlNGO is sure to make Wil­ cal commentary and a gender­ liam Faulkner roll over in his bent forbidden lust opening Sun­ grave. day, September 27 - 7 p.m. at City "It's kind of Jike Pee Wee Lit Theater Company, Victory Herman meets Jean Genet on the Gardens Studio Theater, 2257 way to Tara," explained Hous­ North Lincoln Avenue. For tick­ ton, an African-American play­ ets calJ 871-3000. Ticket prices wright and performer who began range from $10 to $15. Preview his career in New York as a tickets are only $10. Group dis­ founding member of the Play­ counts are available. Parking is house of the Ridiculous with available at the Children's Me­ Charles Ludlam and Ron Tavel. morial Hospital pay lot. "The piny combines trngNiy nnd WOMAN I> I NOO 111 R highly Ir­ fnrrn, nnrl contain,. PnnuMh R('X reverent role-reversal tragi­ and violence to saUsfy even the . comedy, deconstructing. "t.he most jaded.", ..- •'pride and passion on the ole plantation" t>plcR popularl7.ed by WOMANDINGO Is underscored film and pulp fiction. Men play with live, pulsating African women; women play men; drums and tacky, slow-speed blacks play the masters and banjo picking! The Victory Gar­ whites play the slaves In this dens Studio has been trans­ surreal satire with occasional formed into a hilarously horrific out-of-context appearances on cartoon bayou complete with Lily White Oaks Plantation by Spanish moss and lush foliage Miss Scarlett O'Hara herself! casc~ding across the stage hy set Watch the masters scramble to designers Maripat Donovan and maintain their crumbling man­ the a wand-winning David sions while slave rebellion brews Csicsko. Friday 2 Section 7 Chicago Tribune, Friday, October 30, 1992 CN A production that's really out of this world he blood ·~ rcnl , I tell you. \\'hen it drops Jown to the floor and coagulates, you know it's no thcatric:Jl trick. TBesides , there's Tom Dan­ id, surly and sinister, putting a Band-.\id on his finger and tell­ ing us he's not exactly pleased "e're here. Those of us who s h o \\ e d u p f o r T r a n s i en t Theatre's exorcism last weekend h:~d been warned. Uill Mann, the group's artistic director, let on !hat there was a bit of feud be­ t\\een him and Daniel. "You sec, Tom takes this stuiT real seriouslv," Mann told us as we gathcrc·d in the theater's lobbv. "But, well, when he said 'let's· do an exorcism,' I thought, hev it's Halloween, we can m~1k~ some money!" So Mann decided to invite the public and charge a few bucks a head. 13v all · accounts, Dan1cl \\JS furious. According to Mann, Daniel had taken on the exor­ cism because the Transient has been experiencing otherworldly c; ents since the group first took O\ er their Wilson :\venue digs in the summer of 1989. During one rehearsal , lights exploded incxpli­ C:lblv. During another, an actor's arm· kept shooting out as if pos­ sessed, dropping a candle. Mann swore that you could feel unearthly presences in a · for­ mer dressing room. It was so bad that Transient had a profes­ sional witch check the place out ·a few vcars ago. "She didn't ex­ on:ise ·the place, though," Mann said. ''She merely scaled it so that no other spirits could get in.'' He said this with a lopsided ..... ,.. smile, glancing over at Daniel. Photo for the Tribune by Mike F1sher now picking people one by one Tom Daniel sets up a sear.ce at ttie Transient Theatre. from the lobbv and taking them inside the thc:itcr. "You sec, he's ply of stereotypes .. anLI ~ome kind of eccentric," :Vlann con­ trul v disturbing observations. tided about Daniel. "He likes After hours After each show, .-\prill and the hunting little furry animal~. Dur­ By Achy Obejas cast stick around and discuss th~: ing one of hi~ · hunting tnps, he work. That mav seem like fairly met a guy who's a profe~sion_al taking a few weeks to shoo them standard fare, but for this ShO\\ exorcist and he really got mto Jt. out. The last two cleansings will (\\hich has been getting smeareLI There really aren't supposed t.o take phtce this weekend . .Rc- b\ critics who apparently do~ 't bc other people present for this · member: Once you sign the g~t . il) the discussion's a crucial ceremony, but 1 didn't know. form, you .· ~our ailirmation. The night I attend­ l\ot that Tom's an expert Onu1 awav. - ed. nearly everybody in the ra­ this stuff now, but he know hen!\ some serious costume ciallv mixed audience had some­ what's he's doing." Tfun happening at Victory thi-ng to say about how · In case he doesn't, though, th ·, Gardens Studio Theater, · "Womandingo'' affected them. Transient's lawyers had deman - where City Lit's production · It may not be typical Hallow­ )ed .that Mann require his exo of Sterling llouston and Ar- een fare, but the show clos~s ·~ism guests (that's us) to sign no!u Aprill's "Womandin~-:o" is i'\vv. 7, so give it a look thts ir::Icase forin absol~ · i~~ ~he Tran . r!t~cously. holding court. The po­ weekend if you can. It's got ,sient of all n~sponsibilJt). · htical sat1re about race and gen­ enough costumes_, scares, dead • "Uut ~ · hat could happen?"' I . der power dynamics features buLlies, black magic and JOke~ ~o asked. · s o m e c r a z v v i s u a I s , a · keep you in the h~liday spmt. ~ ·w~. just do~'t brooooaa,1,1d style, a wild pano- But it 'll make you thmk, too. tlunQ. ·_Mann .satd. .. THE KITCHEN presents CHANGING IDENTITIES by Blondell Cummings in celebration of the 16th Anniversary of Cycle Arts Foundation Thursdax, May 12, 1994 through Sunday, May 15 at 8pm THE KITCHEN 51 2 West 19th Street {between 1Oth and 11th Avenues) "'r~ew v.orK, I N ew vrorK I 1""''uu 1 1 $15; $12 Members For information/ reservations call: (212) 255 5793 or Ticketmaster (212) 307-7171 Featured Performers: Blondell Cummings, John Funk, Robert Kemp, Laura Marchese, David Maurice Sharp, This project is sponsored by: District Curators, National Endow ment for the Arts, New York State Council fo r the Arts, The Ford Foundation Alternate Arts Organization Commissioning Program, Meet the Composer/ Rockefeller Foundation, ATI Jazz Program, The Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest National Jazz Network, a program of the New England Foundation for the Arts, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, Spoleto Fe stival, Atlantic Center for the Arts, Walker Arts Center, Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust Foundation, The Flynn Theatre ...... '-'''CI'VV HIIIH JHIIIICI;' rfUIIIUII"'ItiiJ;U pr~~t=fl[ diverse play combo for summer audience: by Greg Cr.nvford love, the he:lCt-smiaen twosome be­ the plancation master and his evil s Al the Phoeni."t, Womandtngo sav­ gins with innocence and ends with are white gencry. Womandtngo t ' age!y exposes and chen mercilessly sorrow. The t!."tCremes of emotion and black characters. Where the filin r shreds one racially based mythology rapid tum-<lf-plot make Romeo and mumbling, shuffle-steppin'. dar after another. Ac Garfield Park. The juliet the model for romantic fiction. 1 skinned slaves. Womand_tngo has Iii Friends of Shakespeare recre:lte the None other compares. white actors. Finally, every male myth of ~one-love. true-love,. in their Southsiders Andre-:v Steadham and portrayed by a woman, and vic e-ver~ e:cceilenc Romeo and juliet. Bedo Vargus are R &J Each fits their The overall effect goes much deep . Like the ~massa/slave· chutzpah of respective roles like a square peg fits a than "walking a mile in the ocher mar . Womandtngo, the just-too-tender square hole. Though Vargus' fain! voice shoes.· At first. Womandingo is a pu passion of Romeo andjuliet is the sruff could use additional sound work. the off. It is abrasive and obnoxiou;;. As i ; of fantasy . Both shows are apression that she:md Steadham share none-t~subc!e points begin :o h : recommended: Womandingo to dis­ reawakens memories of firSt love. home, as its cross-gender/ re·verse ·ac ; pe! illusions and Romeo and juliet to Remember yours? Other ftres may· portrayals become evident. howevc: . further others. have burned hotter. but that first pas­ Womandingo begins to inceresr. F: The classic Romeo andjuliet is per­ sion. is never forgotten. Romeo and nally, after lots and lots of meiodrarn: formed straight. Since everyone and julier brings those feelings back. and campy backwards racism ; their dog has tried to update. reshape Pun and rhyme were in vogue dur­ Womandingo becomes a laugh-a . or reset Shakespe:u-e of lace (almost ing Shakespe:Ire's day. The language moment hoot. always with dire consequences), di­ of Romeoandjulietis no e:tceptio"' so Set on a pre-Civil War. he:~rt-o f. rector Bart Simpson's rerum to the please pardon chis writer's (not so) Dixie plantation. Womandingoinve~ original is almost an oddity. Without inspired coaunenc that the show gains ail the movie!and cliches. ~Don ' t be:lt , grandiosity, why would R &]need it? as the sunlight wanes.