Those who made it to Teatri di Vita's Parco dei Pini theater on a snowy Sunday afternoon were treated to a witty "catalogue of paranoia," courtesy of op.eklekt. These were the Italian debut performances for the Kyoto-based company, although they have appeared on the European festival circuit. Der Wachtraum 2 combined Western and Eastern theater traditions with an eye to cartoons and comic strips and a healthy dose of mime. With a black and white scheme (black clothing, white sets and props) inspired by German Expressionistic films, Nobuo Kanetani and Mutsumi Oku parody repetitive behavior and individuals' isolation in society.
One by one with back to the audience, Kanetani, Oku and Kenji Yoshioka take turns gesticulating in a kind of scarecrow fashion while facing a glistening, white tile wall segment. In this fast-moving segment each calmly walks off when finished. In a later part, they update the traditional tea ceremony to include an illuminated tea cart (one of the show's fascinating self-lit objects by Nobuo Kanetani, Mutsumi Oku) from which the tea made from seaweed is poured. To background music played on the ancient theremin, the players offer this mock version as if to highlight the incongruity of observing customs that no longer have relevance. An intermittent colored spot catches zany Mutsumi Oku in a succession of poses, in which she illustrates a single exaggerated emotion, cartoon style. Unfortunately the longest section with glowing objects juggled in the dark is also the least interesting.
Contemporary Japanese experimental theater seems to produce more than its share of pieces like this that emphasize movement and image over text. While this approach alleviates possible language-related problems, the impact of what must be op.eklekt's tight critique of Japanese society is more likely to be read in the West as entertainment. On that level, the audience responded enthusiastically to their show.
The new Parco dei Pini space was inaugurated barely a month ago but promises to enhance significantly Teatri di Vita's presence on the experimental theater scene in Italy. With Italian and international offerings equally balanced, the season lineup is heavily weighted toward national premieres -- all the more appropriate, since Bologna is this year's European Cultural Capital. Enterprising director Stefano Casi will continue his unique combination of audience development initiatives that allow the public to maintain a lively exchange of views in guided group discussion and online about the shows they attend.
