Wet
Wet Drip
By Jessica Mariko, Naomi Rhema and Corey Bassett
Orange Venue, 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival</strong>
If ever there was a reason to break out the brownies, it’s this extravaganza of black light, glow paint, and wet women. Back in the Go Go era this would have been called a “happening” and continued on until the participants regained enough motor control to tackle a trip to The Waffle House. In the Just Say No decade, we’ll have to settle for a classic overhead projector light show and a series of dancers playing in watered down day glow paint.
The theater is dark, lit only by black lights spattered with paint from previous performances. Up stage we have a massive construction with mysterious roadies climbing up and down on sub-OSHA standard ladders. A screen mid-stage intercepts the beams of light from two old fashioned overhead projectors as black masked artists adjust bowls of tie dyed oil and water, re-enacting an early Grateful Dead-style light show. Dancers emerge and dip themselves in glowing paint, roll around, and eventually enter the large box of more paint, splashing water, and motion. It’s sort of a giant, sexy decontamination shower.
While the dance and concept fascinates, some audio problems affected the performance- loud buzzing noises that sounded like open mic cables appeared where music might be expected, and one of the ninja projectionists appeared to be disassembling his projector during the finale. That’s the problem with performance art – too much technology can make a show, and break it just as easily.
More information on DRIP may be found at http://www.ilovedrip.com/More information on the light show for Wet may be found at http://ARTofPerego.com
This show is presented as part of the 17th Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival. Information on times, tickets, and venue location my be found at http://OrlandoFringe.org/ <p
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