Astonishment. Yup, that's the Right Word for It - Wednesday, 7 May

A shout out to my old pal
Jeff Miller, who introduced me
to Peter Brook's work
decades ago!

It would seem as if writer/director Peter Brook’s goal in life is to shake you up, to throw you off kilter, to alter your perspective, to astonish you.  From his deconstructions of Shakespeare and his original work (which I’ve seen) to his interpretations of classics and the avant garde to his adaptations of ancient literature to his film work to his opera directing (all of which I’ve only read about), he is a master at creating worlds for his audience to fully inhabit and of making them think.

His latest work, “The Valley of Astonishment,” is being premiered at his Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord.  This out-the-back-door-of-Gare-du-Nord theater has existed for almost 140 years; Brook took it over in 1974.  It’s the epitome of shabby-chic, reminding me a lot of the Southern Theater in Minneapolis, but with a more traditional horseshoe architecture and multiple balconies.  Gorgeous! http://www.bouffesdunord.com/en/season/518902192296d/the-valley-of-astonishment  

Brook is now 89 years old, and this new play reflects his ongoing fascination with the human mind, personhood, people living on the edge of sanity, and Islamic thought.  It is based to some degree on true stories and the work of various neurologists and Oliver Sacks.  The three actors give absolutely riveting performances playing multiple roles; the two musicians provide both a soundscape and musical interludes.  From the very first seconds of this 90-minute play, when Kathryn Hunter sits on a plain wood chair on an empty stage and describes gradually recognizing her mother’s face for the first time as an infant, you are drawn into the lives of people with synesthesia and other such neurological conditions.  It is at moments profound, insightful, clever, heartbreaking, hilarious and/or perplexing.  The characters don’t always know what to think of themselves, nor do their doctors and other people they encounter.  You are led to ponder how much we really know about ourselves, what science can teach us & what it can’t, the blessings and liabilities of genius.  The script, direction and technical aspects are unobtrusively brilliant.  And if our experience is the norm, this production will engender lively philosophical discussions all the way home (and beyond!).  Astonishment.  Yup, that’s the right word for it.

"The Valley of Astonishment" moves to London in June and to the U.S. later this year.  Watch for it and then do whatever is necessary to see it, even if you can’t catch it at the marvelous Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord!