Tag Archives: The Institute of Contemporary Art

Oct 08

Art, Process, and Connection in Miranda July’s “Lost Child!”

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Photo Credit: Todd Cole

Presented by The Institute of Contemporary Art

Review based on the Oct. 6, 2013 performance
Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater at the ICA
100 Northern Ave.
Boston, MA
ICA on Facebook
Miranda July on Facebook

Review by Gillian Daniels

(Boston) The Institute of Contemporary Art is a glass and steel structure near the shore.  On a gray, rainy Sunday, it looks imposing and a little unnerving. I’m reminded of the cold skyscrapers in Manhattan in my first visit there to see Miranda July on stage.  This isn’t a bad state of mind to be in.  Coincidentally, my first exposure to Miranda July was when I lived in New York and read her book of short stories, No One Belongs Here More Than You (2007).  I was enchanted with her writing, its self-deprecating jokes and nervous whimsy.  It appealed to me in a city where I often felt unanchored. Continue reading →

Feb 26

PROMO: Lucky Plush Productions’ “The Better Half”: March 8th and 9th

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C/O Lucky Plush Productions Facebook Page

C/O Lucky Plush Productions Facebook Page

PROMO: Lucky Plush Productions’ The Better Half: March 8th and 9th

Gillian Daniels

Since 1999, the Chicago-based dance ensemble theater company, Lucky Plush Productions, has sought to marry humor and movement.  The Chicago Tribune has not been shy with its praise, describing the company as “full of amusing, varied and tireless dancing by a troupe of dancers who ably double as comics.”  During the weekend of March 8th, Lucky Plush will bring its combination of wit and whimsy to Boston with The Better Half.

The show is described as an adaptation of the cult-classic noir film, Gaslight (1944).  In the movie, following the murder of her aunt, a woman is manipulated into believing she is mentally unstable.  Most would wring this concept for parody and stop there. The Better Half, however, promises to energetically take this plot and mine it for humor, heart, and surprising turns.  It drives to comment on tension in domestic relationships and the claustrophobia of contemporary living.  The mix sounds promising. Continue reading →