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Brought to
you by Flash Review 1, 12-6:
"Dear Jurgen: I Hear the Economy is Booming. A POEM: For Whom Does
it Boom?" By Faith Pilger Two sock puppets are talking from behind a school desk: "Hey! Why so glum...?" "I'm not glum. I'm weighted down. I'm like a tiny bird with a big long bread crust, bigger than the size of me, taller than my head. Here I come. Crashing through the park, banging across the street. Here I come, tweet tweet tweet. My beady little eyes, my shiny butt, my dusty feathers, my tiny head, hopping through the world with my giant crust of bread. I'm barely making it." "You're broke too, huh?" "Uh, Yeah!" Shempko paces the room: "...Not a painter or a rock star, so no product, hmmm. A PRODUCT? This is it right here. I wanna do live stage shows. Hmmm. Yeah okay. NOTE: I prefer to have the audience throw wads of CASH like in the boys basement strip club than take a cut of the door. Probably not wise financial decision, but much more enthusiastic. ENTHUSIASM: to be full of God, possessed by God or having a god within; eagerness, fervor, zeal, ardor, passion. Yes, I like a show of enthusiasm." And that is EXACTLY what she received as Stanya Kahn performed her one-person-show, "The Ballad of Crappy and Seapole (According to Shempco)" last weekend at P.S. 122 for a packed audience of intrepid New Yorkers. The piece is set in the poverty of Shempco's apartment, which doubles as the set for his new play (backdrop painting by Alessandra Nichols) and triples as the bizarre landscape of his quite active subconscious. We meet the hero: a gangly urban misfit who has just lost his job as a clown at the skating rink, recently bought out by a computer cafe. Shempko's stream of consciousness psychology is gently woven into a witty situation comedy reminiscent of Dr. Seuss, "Waiting For Godot," and Mr. Rogers on acid. (NOTE: If you remember the latter, please immediately buy a ticket to this show, running now thru December 17, and call me in the morning.) Although I would prescribe this show to ALL artists (its being a virtual TRIBUTE to the tormented glory of that state of mind) and to any audience member who feels cynical about the future of the performing arts, I honestly believe it has mass appeal. Here's why: many people go to see a show simply for entertainment, for that feeling of playing and being played with that reminds us of childhood and thus freedom. Others seek a more dramatic, educational and/or psychological message. This show includes both. It is like watching a child at play, as Stanya Kahn is one of those rare performers who lives perfectly in the moment on her stage. But she is fortunately an excellent writer as well, with dozens of witty and memorable lines which resound like proverbs. Her comic timing is impeccable. Oh, and did I mention she's a great dancer as well? Our hero, Shempko, unemployed, broke and afraid to leave his apartment, seems content to entertain himself. His thoughts are like the ocean during a torrential storm, powerful and full of dimension, but constantly moving, and not in a linear direction. He paces, taking notes, and he talks to his friend Jurgen, an orange plastic flotation device that apparently wrote a book, "Ligitimation Crisis." He shares with his friend a new play, with leading characters Crappy (a can of tuna), described as a mermaid in her 40s with blonde hair and a big ass, and Seapole (a claw hair clip) described as: Larry from the Three Stooges but a girl and really skinny. Dance episodes link the scenes, including a "super-fancy acrobatic dance on the desk" to Hendrix. That was as described in the chapbook, a script of the show which I bought for $4 afterward. An audio tape and other chapbooks of previous shows were also available. It is a compliment to Ms. Kahn that I feel I cannot possibly describe her show in one article. There are too many quotable lines and interesting topics to discuss. Shempko is a multi-faceted character with great enthusiasm (see previous definition) -- and, like Mr. Gardner in "Being There," he is instantly an icon for humanity. As Shempko, Stanya Kahn tells stories and embodies other characters, but even as the showgirl, a startling transformation, Ms. Kahn lets creativity reign over her physical beauty. In an unforgettable moment near the end of the show, Shempko stands on his desk and reaches up. He pulls a small wire, which in turn tilts an old silver watering can and water cascades down onto his head. It doesn't stop until he is drenched. It is worth noting that New York City is one of the few places in the world where a one-person show is a somewhat common occurrence. There are a number of multi-talented individuals who juggle part-time jobs of all sorts while retaining the enthusiasm to create new works, produce themselves and battle for the remaining performance spaces, all of whom value originality over money. It appears that our West Coast rivals hail from San Francisco, the hometown of Ms. Kahn and her co-director, Harriet "Harry" Dodge, a solo performer in her own right. Both have performed other successful solo shows and toured with the Sister Spit Spoken Word Tour, and Ms. Kahn will appear in the upcoming feature film, "By Hook or By Crook," written and directed by Harry Dodge and Silas Flipper. Some may remember Ms. Kahn from Contraband or CORE, of which she was a founding member. |
