The Sigla Blog

Somewhere in the middle of Charles M. Lee’s energetic play, a character reflects: “Art is made in the freedom of the imaginationâ€?. The imagination in question, is Robert Rauschenberg, monolith of modern art whose work Lee uses to examine American life in the 20th century. From popular culture to political allusion, bobrauschenbergamerica, presented by New York’s SITI company under Anne Bogart’s imaginative direction, careers through Americana taking the artist’s childhood as a starting point. What follows is a surreal juggernaut of high camp and chaos, of vignettes rather than any coherent narrative. Lee uses his characters (who are not so much one-dimensional, as superficial archetypes) . a trucker, a roller-skating cheerleader, a gay couple . as the mouthpiece for American experience. It’s both parody and homage (including Grant Wood’s American Gothic painting), incorporating a homeless man’s movie ambitions, an assassination and chicken jokes.

The pace is frantic; characters sweep on and off stage and the set constantly changes. Bizarre props - a stuffed deer in a pink tutu, an old bath tub, an empty window frame . are ferried to and fro. Akiko Aizawa, as the trucker’s girlfriend, bravely spends the play sporting a bikini, but gets to swing from a tyre and become a one-woman Martini, writhing in gin and spitting out olives. Not surprisingly, much of the humour is visual. During an exchange about love between a bickering couple, the woman devours an entire cake. Later, they will dance a reconciliatory waltz while being showered with ping pong balls. There are songs, dancing, profundity from pizza delivery guys and James Schuette’s wonderful Stars and Stripes set and a talented cast are highlights. The visual distractions can’t mask the lack of narrative, but like the frosted donut, that most American of snacks, it’s sugary, good to look and not very filling.

bobrauschenbergamerica runs at The Project Arts Centre from September 27th- 30th, 7.30pm, Matinee on Saturday/Sunday at 3pm. No 7.30pm performance on Sunday 30th.