Squonk Opera
SQUONK or SQUONK OPERA as it is called, begins
with a strolling accordion player, but moves on quickly to images
that occur in a preconscious state. It’s a scene from Magritte
or Dali come to life. Human heads emerge from serving trays and lobster
claws protrude from human bodies. Electrifying sounds accompany the
visuals mocking their physical reality... pouring, churning, or coughing,
whatever...
The actors are funny in a liberating way, engaging
in nonrational behaviors and activities. There’s no story. No
loose ends for us to tie up. But there are some interesting analogies
and metaphors. The production, subtitled BigSmorgasbord/WunderWerk
focuses on imagery of food. Oral satisfaction means a lot here, as
does aural gratification in the form of in your face music.
Gregarious performances abound. Jana Losey, the
vocalist, creates a new genre, reminiscent of Madonna vogueing. Costumed
in safari pocketed cut-offs and a slinky white shell, she morphs from
the head on the serving tray to a goddess, from a woman in bondage
to a free spirit. Steve O’Hearn, the group’s artistic director
is entirely fetching. A man of unstudied looks, he moves like the
breeze as he performs an array of electronic winds.
SQUONK , like the surrealist pieces of the early
20th century, aims to surprise, to drive us out of our
conscious selves and into our senses. Sensing their ends, it’s
easy to resist some of the surprises.
That’s This Week on Broadway. I’m Isa
Goldberg
