Though “Stopped Bridge of Dreams” is based on 17thcentury Japanese writings, its style couldn’t be more contemporary.
Written, directed and designed by MacArthur “Genius” Award winner John Jesurun, it’s as technically dizzying as it is bewildering, incorporating video imagery, both live and taped, and even a Web site component.
Saikaku Ihara’s “floating world” story inspired this diffuse piece, which is set on a jetliner that navigates the globe while serving as a sort of airborne brothel. It’s run by the officious Mrs. X (Ridiculous Theatrical Company veteran Black-Eyed Susan) and Hiroshi (Preston Martin), who sports an extravagant Southern drawl and who may or may not be Mrs. X’s son.
Or he may not even be alive, since the piece is also a ghost story.
“Well, someone is dead in this scene, and it’s not me,” Mrs. X observes.
The audience sits on opposite sides of the theater, facing giant video screens overhanging the playing area which is, in effect, a film studio. The action takes place in different nooks and crannies, photographed by a gallery of cameramen and stationary cameras while an army of technicians oversee the action. The performers often deliver lengthy monologues directly into the camera.
It’s all very impressive. Too bad this “cross-media storytelling,” as Jesurun calls it, doesn’t have a more coherent or evocative text. But Jesurun, the Obie-winning creator of “Chang in a Void Moon,” is so enamored with his high-tech toolbox that he allows form to trump content. Here, modernistic and traditional elements combine in mostly baffling, tedious fashion.
The production will feature different guest artists throughout its run, including Buck Henry and performance artist John Kelly. Consider it the avant-garde version of the celebrities popping out of the wall on that ’60s TV show “Laugh-In.”