Resumo de A Tale Of A Tiger

A Tale of a Tiger
Dario Fo's A Tale of a Tiger is a children's show (ages 5 and up) through and through. Though it's certainly enjoyable for adults, as well, they may find it a little overly simplistic -- especially those grownups who don't usually respond well to audience participation. Not the least of the play's charms is that it isn't your usual mawkish holiday fare. Ami Dayan's performance is mischievous and acrobatic. He's an animated, almost hypnotic, and he uses his sets, lights and props to great acclaim. While carrying strong political undertones, Fo's play is here presented almost as faux Fo, with Dayan's new ending one of healing and acceptance

A Tale of a Tiger is the story of a Chinese soldier in Mao's army who is left for dead by his compatriots after being wounded in a battle. Abandoned in a field of grass with a gangrene riddled leg, while slowly dying of thirst, he is suddenly swept up in a flash flood from which he must escape by crawling up a mountain side. There he finds a cave to seek shelter in, only to discover to his horror that a tigress and her cub are the resident landlords. Unable to escape and on death's door, he is literally nursed to health by the tigress. As this surrogate family develops, tiger-human communication is born and while he introduces the tigers to cooked meat, they in turn introduce him to the archetypal elements of their spirits. Once he is able to return to civilization the political overtones of piece take shape in an incredibly insightful way to what is occurring in our own country. The entire play is a fascinating rumination on politics, humanism, and mystic spirituality. And the offering of both endings adds a nice yin and yang quality to the evening.

Mr. Dayan offers a high-energy acrobatic performance, jumping and climbing over and through Miki Ben-Cnaan's jungle gym set. Ms. Ben-Cnaan has constructed a Native American looking, light brown frame to serve as the cave and hillsides of the Chinese landscape. From this frame hang animal skin-like pouches that represent the tigress' teats (I told you he was literally nursed back to health.). Ms. Ben-Cnaan's costume design melds with the set in color and offers hints of Chinese Maoist influence merged with aboriginal-like animal skins. The original music by Ran Bagno is wonderfully mystic and sumptuous. To pull us in to this enchanting world of possibility, Mr. Dayan engages the audience through out the performance for input and interaction, reminding us There is no wall here.

Part of Rorschach Theatre's Dario Fo Festival, in conjunction with the upcoming November presidential elections, the theatre is also offering Fo's Accidental Death Of An Anarchist in October, as well as a staged reading of Allonso Vallejo's absurdist anti-war piece A Tumba Abierta. In addition, there will be readings of new plays by Dario Fo and his wife Franca Rame held at the Italian Cultural Institute, which is sponsoring the festival. For those New Yorkers interested in Mr. Fo and Mr. Dayan's work, A TALE OF A TIGER is appropriate for all audiences, including families.

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