(Best of the Capital Fringe)
Six actors: three men, three women, all in all black—t’s, tanks, slacks, shoes, leggings—sitting, standing, walking upon; bounding, flipping, dancing across a square black platform set against black walls and scaffolding, illuminated by stark white light—present twenty-five “episodes” of human interaction—familiar and surprising; silly and sublime—in a fifty-minute span. Aided and abetted by Natasha Shamloufard’s choreographic precision and Michael Mattice’s pulsating rhythms working smoothly in tandem, or in jagged, ostensible disconnect, they invite us to ponder the following question:
What kinds of connections are possible between strangers who know each other for just a few moments, but who take those moments to drop their guard, to take a chance, to open places in themselves they’d forgotten were there?
Billy Griffis, Angeleaza Anderson, Emily Roos, D. James Willis, Dre Weeks, Grant Collins, and Director Jenna Selby’s international interviews—from a 7/11 to Selenas Valley, from Snowmageddon to Barcelona, from Fremantle trains to Metro trains, from Union Station to Kingston—reveal people who find themselves at a decision point, where things could go either way.
In the hands of these earnest, versatile players who, more often than not, and sometimes startlingly, successfully segue between contrasting situations and characters in the blink of an eye, the experiences of people who, we might first think, are nothing like us—turn out to be our own.
Running Time: 50 minutes.
Recommended for ages 13 and up (profanity).
Cross the Line plays through July 25, 2014 at The Shop 1021 – Fort Fringe-607 New York Avenue, NW, in Washington, DC. For more information and to purchase tickets, go to their Capital Fringe Page.
LINK
Preview article on DCMetroTheaterArts.
I saw it this afternoon. It was absolutely fantastic. The actors were all so present and giving. It was simple, yet powerful.