I have come to look forward to choreographer Beth Corning’s next curiosity, that is, what aspect of the world she will question, deconstruct and ultimately expose to her audiences. Yes, Corning has a constantly probing mind, so delicious to those who like to dive into the maze of mysteries that her brand of dance and theater affords. She reminds us of what we are missing when perspective and history inhabit a performance.
Her latest production is What did you think you just heard me say?!, on view through next weekend at City Theatre’s tiny, postage-stamp sized performance space, The Lillie Theatre.
It could all be condensed into the familiar telephone game, the one that all of us have played at some point or another, where a message whispered into someone’s ear at one end comes out hilariously different at the other end. But that would be merely scratching the surface of Corning’s choreographic talents. If I could guess, I would say that Corning probably had a political starting point. A widening gap between political parties. Unable to reach across the aisle. More and more people now have an inability to hear, or rather, listen to the other side of an argument.
As with all of Corning’s projects, this had a multidimensional approach, full of twists and turns and curlicues. Given that, the production maintained her inclination to engage the audience. It is delightfully interactive, with several audience members tapped to participate. Spoiler alert: pay attention to Corning’s penchant for detail, particularly when it comes to the telephone message…
She brought in three collaborators. Claire Porter is an 81-year old still-dancing marvel. In previous appearances here over the years, she was notable for her whimsical, darting humor. Clad in short shorts, she brought a youthfulness to her movement that belied any age restrictions.
Alberto del Saz, dancer and artistic director of the Nikolais/Louis Foundation, was a spark plug of a dancer, an energetic conduit of movement that was such a pleasure to watch. A simple plie in second position, full of purpose, was mesmerizing.
Evan Fisk is the outlier. Tall, handsome, with a curly cherubic mop of hair, they look far younger than the 40-something standard for a Glue Factory Project. Although the New York City artist has an enviable resume, including Macbeth in Sleep No More, the popular theatrical New York production, and as a member of the Brian Brooks Moving Company, they only graduated from Juilliard in 2017. When they appeared last year in Corning’s the fisherman, the butterfly, eve & her lover, they seemed adrift. But this year, Fisk looked, despite their youthful elan, like an old soul who somehow fit seamlessly into the quartet.
That leaves Corning, who seemed to put herself into the position of an elder, the only real clue being her slightly unkempt hair. But age wasn’t the focus here. This production has a universal appeal. She held a mirror up to us, showing our reflection and/or inspiring thoughts, regardless of age or gender. With Stephanie Mayer Staley’s movable panels that provided a sleight of hand moving the performers on and offstage and Iain Court’s always atmospheric lighting design, there was not a need for anything else. Except the blank and slowly leaking word bubbles that Porter toyed with on several occasion , a playful reminder of Andy Warhol’s floating Silver Clouds (on display at the Warhol Museum on the North Side) for Merce Cunningham in the dance piece, RainForest. (We got the message.)
Although Corning explores the barrage of media and social media that consumes our world, she gradually centered on the ultimate need for human contact. That is conveyed with the utmost simplicity and grace in Victoria Marks’ Dancing to Music, a piece performed with the now-defunct Dance Alloy and a beautiful conclusion to the evening.
Corning has long talked about breaking down the fourth wall and it is obvious that the Lillie Theatre is the perfect place for it.
Photos: Frank Walsh
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