If you go to this show expecting to get it, stop trying so hard and then you might understand it.
Jack and Jill fell down the hill and now Jack’s head is a mess. Jill searches for pleasure, Mary Jane and Nell may have found it and Jack can’t find his most treasured part.
Lost yet? That’s the point. There’s not much in the way of a traditional story line so following the plot becomes an exercise in concentration. Luckily, the cast does an excellent job at keeping the audience focused and reeling us back in when our minds may have wandered off.
Christine Asero (Jill) possesses an interesting intensity. She brings the most context to the piece through her animosity-filled interactions with Jack. Her monologue about men’s inability to pleasure her is darkly humorous and revealing.
Danae Truhart (Mother) brings her own form of intensity and power. Her entrances often create tension and seem to shock the characters back into a kind of reality. Ashley Dillard and Rachel Garmon as Mary Jane and Nell, respectively, play off of each other physically and otherwise. Dillard’s sweet allure compliments Gormon’s devilish boldness splendidly.
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The Tumbling
by Stephen Notes
60 minutes
at Bedroom – Fort Fringe
612 L Street NW
Washington, DC 20001
Details and tickets[/wpcol_1quarter]Our unreliable protagonist Jack (actor, writer and director Stephen Notes) is a bit more difficult to pin down. It is supposedly Jack’s story, but he is ruled by the women. They are his doctors, lovers, tormentors and playmates.
About a quarter into the play Jack has a painfully long monologue that appears to be mainly nonsense if you are not listening closely. This was a significant moment and it could have made a stronger impact if Notes had helped us through it more.
Jen Gushue’s lighting and sound design were excellently crafted to heighten the absurdity and create the world of the piece. When a sound cue was in time with an actors physical or vocal cue the result was magical.
The Tumbling rises to meet the formidable challenges it has set for itself. It may leave your head hurting but that’s no more than what Jack would expect.