Heading into Night: A clown show about . . . [forgetting]

Daniel Passer (Photo by Cooper Bates)

Reviewed by Isadora Swann
Odyssey Theatre
Through Nov. 17

RECOMMENDED

This review is part of the Stage Raw/Unusual Suspects Youth Journalism Fellowship

Delicately dancing the line between endearingly playful and heartbreaking, the play — and its production —  is as clever as its title. Co-devised by director Beth F. Milles and lead performer Daniel Passer, who charmingly captures attention with every move, the work explores the human mind, its triumphs and its shortcomings. Dreamt up during the pandemic, the piece’s core inspiration is the philosophy, care, and patients at The Dementia Village in Hogeweyk, Netherlands. Initially performed at Cherry Arts in Ithaca, NY., it has also run in Detroit and New Orleans.

Upon entering the theater, we see cardboard bankers’ office boxes stacked against the back wall that frame the rudimentary set of three wooden chairs.  As the seemingly mundane crates are scrambled or stacked, opened, and thrown about, we discover that each represents a memory or brain function, and they never cease to surprise. Transforming into light fixtures, microwaves and physical containers of auditory memories, such as old songs or rainstorms, they test the bounds of possibility.

Equally exciting are the colorfully curated projections by designer Gabriel Griego, externalizing the inner world of Passer’s clown-like character. “Have I been here before?” repeatedly flashes above the scene, clouding the thoughts of Passer’s unnamed performer. The woman seated next to me couldn’t help but reply, “I don’t know, have we been here before?” Through the trials and tribulations experienced in a world where memory cannot  be relied upon, I myself was left questioning what I thought I knew to be true.

Passer’s series of sketches, dance breaks, and interactions with the audience provide a moving insight into what it’s like to struggle with, conceptualize, and care for someone with memory loss. Whether it is watching him repeatedly miss the bus or accidentally setting his abode on fire after forgetting popcorn in the microwave, each scene is a new window into the world of the character. The backbone of the play lies not in dialogue —  there is almost none  — but in physicality. Not every scene has a strict storyline or character arc. Many are dance pieces, rhythmic games, or bits of audience interaction. Each builds upon the other, the physicalization of the boxes around the stage, all creating a collage of life with memory loss.

Joining the Los Angeles premiere are The Mover (Peter Mark) and The Musician (German Schauss), whose electric guitar chords elevate the high-strung moments, and serenade in the sincere. They both weave through the scenes, elevating the imaginative sequences with lively interactions and firm redirections that show how freeing, and limiting it is to live without the context or constraint of one’s memory. Consistent breaking of the fourth wall and intermittent audience interaction create an intimate viewing experience that is quite ‘unforgettable’.

Odyssey Theater, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West LA.; Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 2 pm; thru Nov. 17. Run time: 75 minutes. www.odysseytheatre.com