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Effie George Effie Reviews Cul de Sac at Performance Space 122  PHOTO: Guntar Kravis Daniel MacIvor in Cul-de-Sac The premise seems cliche: a young, gay man, Leonard, is brutally murdered at two in the morning amidst a rainstorm. Cul-de-Sac, however, takes this cliched idea to an entirely different psychological level. The one-man show, performed at Performance Space 122 in downtown Manhattan, explores the different reactions of the various neighbors, all living in a dead-end street, to the murder, each neighbor enhancing the story of the last, commenting on popular culture, and adding, unconsciously perhaps, to the audience's understanding of Leonard as an individual and as a story. The play's primary message seemed to become clear at the end of the play in a metaphorical question: Is the street a dead end, or a cul-de-sac (roundabout in the road)? The play seems to explore this idea by allowing the narrator of the play to be Leonard himself, come back from the dead to explain his situation, interjecting his opinions throughout the production. This poses the question of whether death is an end or a beginning. This idea is also explored by the format of the play, each character being molded and somehow affected by Leonard's murder, from the cynical, 90-year-old Dr. Bickerson to the 13-year-old Madison Turner. The play also explores how different individuals view popular culture. According to Dr. Bickerson, modern culture revolves around technology, and he can only criticize it. The middle-aged couple, the Walsh's, seem to believe that popular culture is merely based upon sex and drugs. The stereotypical British woman, Virginia, clearly expresses how she believes modern culture to be centered upon a lack of invention, while Madison awkwardly hesitates toward saying that modern culture centers on imagination, the purpose of life. It is interesting to view these different interpretations and viewpoints and consider how they affect the audience's idea of popular culture. The play opens with a monologue by Leonard, who explains the situation in fairly vague detail. He explains that the purpose of a story is to "allow us to believe in transformation," and that is exactly what Cul-de-Sac allows the audience to do. Daniel MacIvor, who played every character, powerfully portrayed all aspects of life, young and old, male and female. Through his posture, body language, voice and physical movements, he brought each of the characters to life, allowing the audience to become fully engrossed in the story. Using his acting skills, MacIvor was able to transcend all boundaries to make the audience believe his transformations were real. A particularly remarkable scene was the Christmas Party, where MacIvor stood stationary in the center of the barren stage and portrayed a conversation between seven people by himself. By changing his voice and his posture, it was immediately clear which character he had become, and it was hypnotic to watch him transform himself so quickly and with such immense ease. The theater is small, fitting approximately 130 occupants. The stage was bare, the only visual effects were lights forming blue and white squares on the floor, and the occasional flash of bright spotlights on the audience to represent lightning. Though the play physically came full circle, it forced the audience to wonder whether or not, "when all is said and done, life is still a dead end street." |
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