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Beate Hein Bennett
“Above Ground – Not Exactly a Comedy”
If you feel like dancing, go ahead --you’re never too young or too old, and if/or when you are old(er), you certainly don’t care what anybody else might think of you. That is the moral of an ensemble of ten actors, ages 74—98, and their two directors, Nancy Gabor and Paul Binnerts who assembled and choreographed this delightful and thought provoking performance “Above Ground—Not Exactly a Comedy.” Those of us, including the writer of this review, who face the (hopefully protracted) sunset of our lives are regaled to a rich selection of stories and observations from the lived experiences of ten old(er) New Yorkers. It is a time travel down memory lane from the 1950s to the present day. Some of these time travels start in another country, some start in childhood in the different boroughs of the city and give glimpses of a very different city—yet all are affirming and embracing the vitality that the city has always provided and still provides for those of us who continue to live in it, embrace it with all its rough edges. Under the tutelage of Ms. Gabor, an early member of Joe Chaikin’s Open Theater, and Mr. Binnerts, whose theater work has alternated between Amsterdam and New York, the actors of diverse backgrounds and acting experience, developed a style of presentation, “Real-Time Acting” rooted in the Brechtian/Open Theater style of directly addressing the audience. The actor is present as story-teller, in this case of his or her own story, without donning a mask or adopting a persona. It is a personal ‘presencing’ of a memory or an experience. “You’re Never Too Old to Play” is an acting workshop for seniors 65 and older at Westbeth, Home to the Arts, (in the West Village) that was founded in 2019 by Nancy Gabor and Paul Binnerts with sponsorship by the Westbeth Artists Residents Council for Westbeth residents and beyond. It has created two previous performance pieces: “Stories, a Collage” (2021) and “America, Stories about America” (2022). The development of story theater depends much on improvisation in order to open up the potential of each story, or in Paul Binnerts’ words “peeling the onion”, uncovering the layers of a story, and to create a feeling of trust while building an ensemble. Music can play an important part in this creative effort. In this production poignant selections of music (soundtrack by Mr. Binnerts) create transitions between or introduce vignettes. Through improvisations modes of movement and intonations are developed that may include the whole ensemble or are specific to the individual’s needs. An almost magical beginning happens with the group spread about the playing space facing the audience straight on: the subtle sound of collective breathing and slight movements of arms begins to fill the space—it is like a ritual invocation of a collective effort to free the words that rely on breathing to come forth from the body. It is a simple beautiful gathering of players and audience into the most fundamental effort that precedes everything from the first cry of the newborn to the last breath of the dying.
The actors wear their own choice of clothing. The only furniture in the space are chairs for each actor that can be moved as needed, a bench for props, and some props needed by a teller for his or her story. Against the back wall a large screen can be brought down for projections that may enhance a story, or be used for illustrations, such as the fantastic paintings of actor/painter Jonathan Ned Katz, or for the mischievously humorous story telling video interview with Gloria Miguel ((98), co-founder with her sister Muriel of “Spiderwoman”, the Native American theater group. (Both sisters sitting in front of me during the Sunday matinee added an extra delicious dimension.) The individual performances are touching, amusing, and haunting, and even informative of history. All demonstrate the power of live story telling—something the ancients knew all about—and the resilience of the so-called Aged (I prefer the honorific “Elder”) to all the vicissitudes that life presents. It is a salient reminder that age spares no one except those who die young, and that each sunrise is full of promises, good and troublesome, but always to be accepted with grace and strength until the ‘last waltz’ into oblivion. “Above ground—not exactly a comedy” concentrates such diverse journeys of life into a delightful (em) bracing event, for old and young alike. |
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