Fictionlet

Oct. 16th, 2007 11:27 am
the_gneech: (Kero class)
[personal profile] the_gneech
Yin and Yawn
"Dualing Realities" at Harcourt Park Stage
A Review by Greg Bumerli


One of the perks of freelancing is that occasionally the paper will give you a pair of tickets to see the hot new show on opening weekend. One of the drawbacks, is that you're then expected to go. Thus it was that on a drizzly latesummer's eve I dragged my roommate to "Dualing Realities," the new play opening at Harcourt Park. I say "dragged" because, while I was looking forward to the evening (meaning as it did a forthcoming check for the inevitable review), my roommate Brigid would generally rather stick her arm down a garbage disposal than go anywhere near a theater.

Well, in this case, Brigid had the right of it. Although the playwright's identity is an open secret, being listed as "Lady Nemo" on the playbill, I can see why she wouldn't want her name attached to this. The only problem is, shame isn't what led her to put on this charade. I found her in the lobby during the intermission and asked her what the deal with "Lady Nemo" was and in her own words, she felt that having an anonymous author "removes the play from the shackles of NOW, and sets it free to tell its truth for the ages." Had I known this was her attitude going in, I would have been able to mentally prepare myself for the ordeal that lay ahead.

My first inclination that something might be amiss, of course, was the title. Nobody calls a play something like "Dualing Realities" unless they intend to start something. The second inclination was when the lights came up to reveal, stage left, a man in makeup and earrings surrounded by a cascade of flowers; stage right, a woman in a vinyl and spandex, er, costume.

Brigid, always one to get right to the point, said, "Good god, the woman is dressed as a giant rubber penis."

The man said, "Yin." The woman said, "Yang." And then the sketches began.

Apparently intended as a sort of latter-day Dubliners (and/or Winesburg, Ohio), "Dualing Realities" is structured as a series of sketches that expand on the theme of "male perspective" vs. "female perspective," usually by either gender-flipping cliché scenes (lady executive patronizing male secretary, for instance) or by putting either a man or a woman into a situation normally reserved for the other gender (such as a party of men giving a baby shower to a father-to-be, and a party of women watching 'the big game' while quaffing beer and eating barbeque). All very typical Men-From-Mars Women-From-Venus stuff, punctuated by incoherent and vaguely creepy monologues by Captain Flowers or Penis Girl.

My roommate's carefully-considered declaration, "if I'm told that I'm a special jewel surrounded by a world of insensitive clods one more time, I'm going to take a knife to somebody," about sums that aspect up.

The finale of the show, the thing that caused all the brouhaha and generally put "Dualing Realities" on the map, is of course the ending sketch. Intended as an inverse parody of porn flicks, the sketch is about a man named Manuel (as opposed to "Emmanuelle," I'm informed) who goes around in extremely skimpy shorts and jumps into bed with anyone and everyone he meets, male or female, all the while giving speeches about how he can't help himself, he's only a man. Of course, to keep from getting arrested, there's no actual engaging in pornographic acts, except for the famous mansnoggery that raised such eyebrows in the advertising posters.

This was Brigid's favorite part of the show; she laughed heartily the whole time. I personally found it more peculiar than anything else. With the exception of the skimpy shorts, I can name half a dozen men off the top of my head who would eagerly have filled Manuel's place. I take it that it was supposed to bring burning shame down on male viewers for the degradations women have suffered in porn flicks, but what the author totally fails to realize is that the average male sees "being a sex object" as a consummation devoutly to be wish'd, not some kind of negation of their value as a human being. Far from being ashamed, I expect that a significant portion of what few men were in the audience would have happily asked "Lady Nemo" where they could sign up.

Once all that mess ended, we were treated one last time to several minutes of baffling pronouncements from the flowers and his friend in the rubber suit. I still haven't made up my mind of whether it was intentional or not that the house lights came up and everybody started to trickle out while they were still talking.

Brigid's one-sentence review of the play was: "Awful, but at least I got to see men kissing." For myself, I found the whole thing about a subtle as being hit over the head with a waffle iron, and about as enjoyable. I also have an unaccountable desire to watch football.

Greg Bumerli has been published in The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and several smaller periodicals, and is the author of Retrograde Maneuvers. His newest book, Funny Looks, is due to be released early next year.

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Date: 2007-10-16 04:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] exatron.livejournal.com
Cool, Greg has a last name. And Brigid was apparently a cheerleader at some point. (Save Brigid, save the world.)

Greg's style remnds me of my cousin Matt's writing.

The play reminds me of The Producers.

Date: 2007-10-16 05:54 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rhanlav.livejournal.com
Springtime for Hitler! *dances about*

Thanks for reminding me I need to watch that movie. I just bought it for dirt cheap and totally need to watch it. Currently trying to finish off the Vol. 1 of Voltron first though.

--Salen

Date: 2007-10-16 06:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] exatron.livejournal.com
Do you mean the original or the adaptation of the musical? If it's the latter, there's a reason it was cheap. The transition from film to the theater and back to film didn't go so well.

Date: 2007-10-16 07:26 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rhanlav.livejournal.com
The movie with that guy who was in the Birdcage that I can never remember his name to save my life. Isn't Matthew Brodrick in it too? And I don't care if its bad, I wanted it on the theory that it /would/ be bad. And probably funny too. I mean, it sounds like a train wreck to begin with. I figure for 4 dollars, it can't be that bad of a deal. Its not Wing Commander (the movie) anyways.

--Salen

Date: 2007-10-16 09:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] exatron.livejournal.com
Yeah, that's the one. I saw the musical first, so I'm probably biased toward it. The movie cut out a few bits I really liked.

Date: 2007-10-17 02:50 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rhanlav.livejournal.com
Thats him! Don't know why I can never remember his name. Its weird like that.

--Salen

Date: 2007-10-17 06:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hossblacksilver.livejournal.com
I thought that was what it was, I just popped over to IMDB to double check. n_n

Date: 2007-10-16 05:15 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hallan.livejournal.com
*hi-fives Brigid and Greg* I loathe 'artsy' feministas.

Hallan

Date: 2007-10-16 05:48 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jedi-iwakura.livejournal.com
They should start a joint column.

Yin and Yang.

XD

I like Greg's style. It's quippy, but it gets the point across very well in that same manner, without making himself look like a garish a**hole about it, as I see most OpEd/review writers nowadays. I'd be more than happy to have in in my publication (if I had one) any time.

Date: 2007-10-17 02:35 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hossblacksilver.livejournal.com
They should start a joint column.

Yin and Yang.


Oooh-kay. Go with that idea. You suggest to Brigid that she needs to dress up like a giant penis. Meanwhile, I'll stand here behind this bullet-proof glass.

Mind if I tape the carnage for Youtube?

Date: 2007-10-17 06:04 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jedi-iwakura.livejournal.com
I didn't know one needed to dress up as a giant penis to write.

I *KNEW* I DOING SOMETHING WRONG. XD

Date: 2007-10-16 05:56 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] susandeer.livejournal.com
There are two things I must note here, sir:

1 - I was slicing a banana for my cereal when I got to your post.

2 - In college, a women's art college, someone decided that a neat bit of public (within the school) performance art would be to dress up as a penis made of flesh colored, parachute type material, and wander about. I remember eating lunch in the small cafeteria, right near the walkway, when this thing flomped and shuffled in flaccidly, then, as if revelling in the sudden attention of the gawking, began to straighten up, as if stiffening, wiggled with joy because everyone was looking, and then flomped over again, spent, and flaccidly shuffled away. There was a "quickie" performance on the way out when the penis met up with the school president, who was on her way to lunch. "Hunh! May I see your visitors pass? We don't accept any penis into the student body, you know!"

Date: 2007-10-16 06:01 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] jedi-iwakura.livejournal.com
1. I want a banana and some Rice Krispies now.
2. OH WOW.

Date: 2007-10-16 06:57 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] the-gneech.livejournal.com
1 - Is that a euphemism?

2 - Pardon me while I giggle uncontrollably!

-The Gneech

Date: 2007-10-16 07:03 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] susandeer.livejournal.com
1 - A funny thing happened on the way to the forum...!

2 - Full pardon. @:)

Date: 2007-10-17 03:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] exatron.livejournal.com
1. Sometimes, a banana is just a banana.

Date: 2007-10-16 07:28 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rhanlav.livejournal.com
1: Mmmm cereal.

2: Wow. Just... wow.

--Salen

Date: 2007-10-16 07:19 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] kylet.livejournal.com
:::Draws fanart of Manuel::: ^.^

Date: 2007-10-17 03:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] the-gneech.livejournal.com
...

Silly. :)

-TG

Date: 2007-10-16 07:35 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] annechen-melo.livejournal.com
Oh Good Gnu - the part of Greg will now played by Cary Grant...

Date: 2007-10-17 03:16 pm (UTC)

Date: 2007-10-16 08:39 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] makovette.livejournal.com
Best Fictionlet evar - I laughed, I cried, I rolled on the floor between aisles 13 and 14 and got stale gummi bears in my hair.

Bravo! :)

Mako

Date: 2007-10-17 03:17 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] the-gneech.livejournal.com
Careful, those floors are sticky!

-TG

Date: 2007-10-16 09:47 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mg4h.livejournal.com
*snerk*

Date: 2007-10-17 02:33 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] oceansedge.livejournal.com
*grins*

Thanks heavens Greg has never been subjected to the Vagina Monologues - otherwise I might actually laugh hard enough to lose my lunch.

As it is my sides are in great pain now *grins*

Date: 2007-10-17 02:37 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] hossblacksilver.livejournal.com
I just love Brigid's comments in the review.

I just wonder what Greg, for purposes of diplomacy, left out. n_n

Date: 2007-10-17 05:40 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] torakiyoshi.livejournal.com
*Giggles uncontrollably*

This was one of the funnier ones. Please tell me this is not a real play?

Have the best

-=Kiyoshi

Date: 2007-10-17 03:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] the-gneech.livejournal.com
Think of it more as "inspired by a type". ;)

-TG

Date: 2007-10-17 03:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] fferret.livejournal.com
Damn! Greg was in the audience of the showing of "Menopause, The Musical" I attended last week at the Hippodrome in B'more. He just changed the names to protect the innocent! Seriously, I was taken to this by my wife and daughter. 90 minutes. No intermission. Sadly unfunny. I laughed twice the entire show. They insist I didn't get it because I'm male. I insist I didn't get it because they was nothing there to be gotten! Take [livejournal.com profile] lythandra to this travesty sometime. I'll bet she finds it unfunny too.

Date: 2007-10-17 03:18 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] the-gneech.livejournal.com
Um ... think I'll pass. ;)

-TG

Date: 2007-10-17 03:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] laurie-robey.livejournal.com
I would bet you're right!

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