And now, for something completely different…The Encounter must be heard to be believed. As soon as the audience is seated, a very casually dressed British fellow (Simon McBurney) begins talking. So, not a stagehand at all. He asks “Has the show begun?” Indeed, it has. He informs us that he’s taking a photo of us to show to his daughter, a charming little voice who keeps interrupting his story when she should be in bed asleep. We never see her, or any of the other characters who are mentioned. There’s a standing microphone on stage, topped by what looks like the head of a robot. We’ve been instructed to put on headphones (for those so inclined, bring disinfecting wipes); the tests done for each ear are repetitive, somewhat annoying, and loud. In fact, a major problem with the audio is that there’s no way we can turn down the noise, and there’s plenty of it in the show. McBurney has adapted for the stage the story of American photojournalist Loren McIntyre, who in 1969 was determined to get shots of the mysterious South American Mayoruna tribe. Based on the 1991 book “Amazon Beaming” by Petru Popescu, The Encouter features McBurney alone onstage; through the headphones, we hear ferocious jungle animals, buzzing insects, natives, and McIntyre. Voices go up and down in pitch, from English to American. Sounds come from all directions, including inside our own head. The subject matter veers from McBurney cooing at his child to the much too vivid descriptions of dead bodies and maggots in the skin. The experience can be enlightening, distressing, and provocative, depending on your mood and interest. The house explodes with laughter when McBurney seems to blow in the ear. Incidentally, if it all gets to be a bit much, you can take off the headphones and still hear what’s be said onstage, without the boisterous embellishments. “We’re constantly mistaking fiction for reality,” McBurney advises us. In trying to influence our perceptions, he tends to wax poetic. Much of the success of the evening relies on our being willing to not question too closely the facts of what’s actually transpiring, and to embrace the sensation of being overwhelmed. What does it mean when a tribesman tells his visitor that because white people have spoiled everything, the tribe must “go back to the beginning?” Or when McBurney states “For us, time is a possession?” The Encounter may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but no one can deny that it’s a totally original work, and a must-see (or hear) for theater aficionados.
