From Mexico
Created by: Devon de Mayo, Seth Bockley and La Piara
Featuring La Piara: Artus Chavez Novelo, Frenando Cordova Hernandez, Madeleine Sierra
Sound Design: Nick Keenan
Costume Design: Mieka van der Ploeg
Assistant Director: Will Bishop
Lighting Design: Gifford Willams
By Stanley Allan Sherman
© copyright September 12, 2012
Mexico today is going through some very bad times with unspeakable violence. The clowns and fools job is to put the mirror up to society so they can see their reflection and laugh at what is not funny. Yet we are belly laughing in this very powerful piece of clown-theater.
Opening we hear only rhythm, marching; in comes the two main clowns one the captain and other his aide holding a checkered flag. Guerra is full of lazzi and it starts with the putting the flag on the flagpole. The flagpole does not have a line to host the flag and the aide goes through five minutes of hilariously action trying to put the flag on top and each time failing bigger. Not a word is said through this whole routine. What you have in La Piara is a company that is well trained in many arts and especially the art of mimes; the aide is excellent at it.
This is a brilliantly simple play that only clowns and fools can get away with. The aide will do anything for his captain and totally respects him. On the simple desk the phone rings. The ringing sound of the phone is done by the aid as well as the muffled sound that his captain is listing to. There are many calls through out this clown-theater play where the captain gets his orders. We are going to war get new recruits. There are things I will not tell you so not to spoil some of the many surprises. They get a recruit and it is a woman. They go through a very short training hand her rifle and send her off to fight the war. She goes off alone while the captain and his aide wish her well.
The audience participation takes a new twist on an old theme. Because these are clowns, they get away with how they use the audience creating two very dynamic moment and funny at the same time. The relationship between the captain and the general on the phone is total respect but it also get a little kinky at times, all done with reactions and the muffled sounds of his aide. It is not only funny but everyone that is aware of real life problems with the military is laughing and at the same time going, oh-ya that is a real problem.
The recruit comes back from the front lines several times and each time it is worse and she gets more and more damaged from the horrors of war. The aide asks her, “did you see.” Then he mimes out various tragedies that happen. After each time, “did you see this?” She confirms yes. Each time she goes more into shock. And we are laughing at this. The aide mime out, blood thirsty, cruel, curdling, horrors and then goes deeper into victims of war, a baby nursing on its mother’s breast, splat and nothing is speared from us. It works. The mime gets into such details and yes we are laughing and maybe crying on the inside. Which is some of the power of true clowns.
The end I felt can be a little stronger. Also I happen to be a paper airplane expert having done a paper airplane show in my own show for decades. I love the colored airplane but they need to be mastered like you master everything else in the show.
There is dance and French, Spanish and English spoken. Because of all the mime, sound effects anyone of any language can follow the show with ease. There is some recorded music in the show but none of it is credited. But sound design is and it is done well by Nick Keenan. Costumes design by Mieka van der Ploeg is simple, funny and powerful.
This is a great piece of clown-theater not to be missed. The only tragedy is there are only two more shows for Guerra at The NY Clown Theater Festival this year, Wednesday September 12 at 7 PM and Friday at 8:30 PM. This is one of three shows so far in this festival that is worthy enough to have a real New York run.
The New York Clown Theater Festival runs through Sept. 30th at the Brick Theater http://www.bricktheater.com