Monochrome deals with belonging, striving to belong, bullying, rejecting, and being rejected. There is an unaccepted person in each scene along with the people who reject. The usual reject has a Chaplinesque quality. That’s the rare distinguishing characteristic of any in the group of players. Music does convey changing moods, however. Costumes seem to be a bit ragged but are fully bland in color and design. They could be the dressing choice of any people who do not have distinct personalities or, even more important, true character. The one most often rejected goes several times into a booth that lights up as he leaves the stage through it. Toward the end, why he comes back with a suitcase is a mystery. The Lieder Theatre publicizes that its work is open-ended regarding interpretation by an audience. My interpretation is that this piece began with a few of the ideas I mention in my first sentence and then miming actors played acting-plus-movement games to produce a collective creation that takes a lot of time to say very little in an elemental way.
