Red Thread
Reviewed by Stephen Fife
Atlas Obscura
Through November 10
RECOMMENDED
The pleasure of seeing Red Thread, Siegfried Tieber’s theatrical exploration of chance and chaos, begins with its venue, the Paul Kaufmann Gallery in DTLA. There is mystery and something special from the get-go, as audience members enter through an alley and walk through the subterranean gallery rooms (full of Kaufmann’s one-of-a-kind shoe designs and erotic sketches) until they reach a large room ringed around with a white curtain, and with two rows of chairs facing an improvised stage.
The audience assembled when I arrive are mostly white and Asian urban professionals who have paid $74 per seat. It’s to the credit of Tieber’s show that situating this upscale audience just a few blocks from the homeless encampments on Los Angeles Street does not feel disturbing or anomalous. In fact, it fits well into Tieber’s themes, as anyone here could easily have ended up there given a slightly altered set of circumstances.
The mood in this audience is excited — folks are smiling with anticipation. I saw something similar at the Geffen Playhouse months ago when I was there to review Helder Guimaraes’s Invisible Tango — this almost giddy expectation of the interactive experience, and the element of unpredictability in how it will unfold.
When Siegfried Tieber appears, he proves to be tall and thin, with dark curly hair under a funny hat. There is something a bit fatuous about him, but not in a bad way — he seems both intelligent and clownish, and he reminds me of the comic relief characters in Shakespeare’s plays. I’m sure he would make a killer Peter Quince or even Bottom in Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Right away he lays out his thesis: We live in a deterministic world, in which there are so many factors influencing every moment of our existence that it is absurd to talk about free will or simple causes and effects. At the same time, the human condition is intolerable without at least the illusion of free will. And this is what we will explore on our “journey” (his word). This journey involves interactive explorations with coins, Rubik’s cubes, books (he’s memorized entire novels, like Mr. Memory in Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps) and especially decks of cards. I was blown away by all of it and have no idea how he did most of it. Then again, I’m not a would-be magician or even a magic aficionado, just someone who can appreciate great sleight-of-hand.
While the show does not have the multi-faceted resonance and meta-narrative strands of Invisible Tango, it is still a wonderful journey, both mind-expanding and highly amusing. The metaphor of Red Thread comes from the legend of Ariadne, the Cretan princess in Greek mythology who gave Theseus a thread that would allow him to find his way out of the minotaur’s labyrinth. Tieber, with his very original and engaging stage persona, makes a great guide through the cosmic labyrinth of our daily lives, sharing his insights into life’s big question while keeping us guessing and on the edge of our seats.
Paul Kaufmann Gallery, 113 E. 8th St., Downtown L.A. — The Fashion District; Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sat., 10:30 p.m.; Sun., 4 p.m. & 7 p.m., through Nov. 10. https://www.atlasobscura.com/experiences/red-thread#availability. Running time: 90 minutes with one intermission.
