Archikulture Digest
Proof

Proof

Theater on the Edge

Barbie took some heat for declaring “Math is HARD!” but until you’ve struggled through elliptic function and modular form theory, you don’t know how hard it really is. And youth helps; the math brain fades after your 20’s. Wunderkind Robert (Barry Wright) should know, he revolutionized three branches of math before he hit 25. But now it’s all downhill for Robert; he’s filling notebooks with gibberish. His loyal daughter Catherine (Raitano) knows; she tries to get a degree in the subject but had to drop out to deal with Robert’s decline. But now he’s dead and the vultures circle. Hopeful, helpful grad student Hal (Barry Wright) offers to help with the stack of nonsensical notebooks, but he MIGHT be cruising to steal a proof from Robert to shore up his fading career. There’s a budding romance, but the facts show Catherine sliding off the sanity ladder as well, and her pushy sister Claire (Elaitheia Quinn) arrives to sell the house, burn the furniture and “help” Catherine, maybe with a little Thorazine chaser.

This script crosses local stages from time to time, and frankly it’s a tough one to pull off without the lecture element overwhelming the human. But the Edge crew pulls it off with Raitano’s break -downs propelling the story from the subjunctive to the active. She enters act one crying and berating the furniture only returning to sanity when she has no choice. Mr. White is confident, loud and demanding but you can tell he loved his daughter when he was sane and clings to that in madness. Bracketing this love / hate romance we find the earnest if slightly shifty Hal; he knows he isn’t changing any worlds and fears a career teaching high school math. That leaves high pressure Claire. Ms. Quinn make it abundantly clear how man sacrifices she’s made unasked, and could Claire have the decency to act a little more pathetic?

What do we learn from this disintegrated series expansion of insanity? While civilians are stumped at processes like long division and addition, the pros stare into an abyss and hope to find cosmic revelations and party hardy when not working. And unlike engineering and medicine, it’s hard to get a good day job with steady pay and a parking spot with a math degree. The concept of intelligence correlates with insanity is brushed upon, but it’s not a theme: the fact is this is a crazy family and their exceptional intelligence is a mere coincidence. But we do get a fun fact: there are over 1511 handmade foam bricks on the stunning set. Go factor THAT, hot shot.

http://theaterontheedge.org/; http://facebook.com/TheaterOnEdge


Recently on Ink 19...

Better Than This

Better Than This

Event Reviews

Four local bands lit up Melbourne, Florida at the Pineapples Moon Room. The lineup, presented by Red Eye Booking, included London on Fire, The Speed Spirits, and Dunies, all from in Melbourne, and special guest, Orlando band Better Than This.

The Captain & Tennille

The Captain & Tennille

Garage Sale Vinyl

This week, Christopher Long pulls up at a neighborhood garage sale and picks up his fourth vinyl copy of Song of Joy, the 1976 platinum slab from the Captain & Tennille.

Eight Deadly Shots

Eight Deadly Shots

Screen Reviews

Mikko Niskanen’s recently restored 1972 mini-series Eight Deadly Shots is a complex look at the real-life murders of four police officers in the farming community of Sääksmäki, Finland, in March 1969. Lily and Generoso review the powerful fictionalized adaptation of this tragic incident.

Smoking Causes Coughing

Smoking Causes Coughing

Screen Reviews

Lily and Generoso review Smoking Causes Coughing, the newest creation from surrealist comic genius Quentin Dupieux (Rubber, Mandibles) that follows the adventures and storytelling endeavors of the kaiju-fighting Tobacco Force!

Drumming with Dead Can Dance

Drumming with Dead Can Dance

Print Reviews

Ink 19’s Roi J. Tamkin reviews Drumming With Dead Can Dance and Parallel Adventures, Peter Ulrich’s memoir of an artistic life fueled by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard’s remarkable friendship.

%d bloggers like this: