Dear Bitches,
I have wondered how long will it take until artists can freely express themselves about the 9/11 tragedy; when tackling the subject goes beyond the honouring of the heroes. How long would it take before artists can paint the pictures of 9/11 not in monochromatic black and white, but in shades of grey? With Headlong’s production, Decade, the answer seems to be that – a decade. But just barely. And it might just make sense that the initiative came not from the US, but its cousin across the pond. It is often our siblings, cousins, or best friends that help us to view personal tragedies with a certain distance.
Decade is an ambitious project of director Rupert Goold who, among many other plays, has directed ENRON. "My starting point for this was: 'What would be a boring 9/11 show? And what would be maudlin and tasteless? Don’t do that!'" Director Rupert Goold says in an interview by The Telegraph. His company, Headlong, employed 18 writers and thinkers, American and British, to pen the show. The result is a kaleidoscope of stories, experiences and voices. There are dances, skits, narration, and audience direct experience. This kaleidoscope approach probably is the only way to inspect our responses to the events of 9/11. As the show’s tag line goes: “Two towers. Ten years. Thousands of opinions.”
Headlong chose Commodity Quay for the venue. I’m sure it’s no happy coincidence that the building, located in St. Katherine Docks, is next to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge (two ‘towers’). It is also the former home of the London World Trade Centre.
Before entering the venue, the audience is first subjected to an airport-like security check – a reminder of one of the legacies of 9/11, our partial lost of liberty. Then the audience goes through ‘passport control’ where it is subjected to questioning: what are you doing here, how long are you planning to stay, what is your nationality? Once satisfied, the officer in charge stamps the ticket and then the audience is led downstairs to the auditorium decked out to look like Windows on the World, the restaurant at the top of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The walls are made to look like the windows and views you would have seen from the restaurant. Breakfast menu is on the table. You won’t be able to eat your breakfast of course. The first plane hit the North Tower at 8:46 a.m.
There are no mention of planes in the show. No mention of World Trade Center. Al Qaeda was mentioned only once and that was when an actor read an excerpt of the speech U.S. President Barack Obama gave to announce the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Later on, the same actor will recite a transcript of a message left by one of Al Qaeda’s men explaining the reason he believes America deserved 9/11.
The dance choreography is effective. My favourite is the one where as the dance progressed, clouds of dust accumulate.
Most subtly poignant for me was the part where a young woman goes into an abortion clinic. As she lies on the operating table, she asked for the nurse to hold her hand. The nurse told her not to worry, she will always be there. Then lights flashed, sirens heard, the doctor and the nurse stare at the tv in disbelief and run away, leaving the patient on her own, in a compromising position on the operating table. Of course what had happened after 9/11 in America is that the voices of the far right had multiplied, gotten stronger and louder. They are united in their fight against abortion laws in the US and any country the US might choose to give aid. In the States, a woman who’s had a miscarriage can now be taken to court if suspected of being negligent with her pregnancy. Many women feel abandoned by the liberals.
Decade is poignant, powerful, remarkable theatre long on imagination. See it if you dare, and ready to see it beyond a good vs evil story.
Until then, sweet-tarts. Kisses.
Hollie Go-Lightly
Links:
Decade
Headlong
Rupert Goold
Commodity Quay
No comments:
Post a Comment