Arts Runoff: A MILLION TINY DEATHS

Arts Runoff is a Middblog series of performance reviews, originally written by JP Allen ’11. Ele Woods ’11.5 is going to take over the series for now!

Tonight at 8:00

Summary: Emily Rosencrantz and Kelsey Ferguson’s senior 700 project. A collection of scenes that deal with weirdly sexual and disturbing images and topics. A lot of before play, foreplay.

Good: One of the most visually beautiful shows I have seen in the Hepburn Zoo. Gorgeous costumes, great lights, music and an awesome set (a great use of the hotdog style!).  It looked like a group of very talented designers had a lot of fun executing a very cohesive artistic vision. We got to see a lot of different characters very quickly. Emily Rosencrantz was great as a bitchy Queen and an Irish freedom fighter. I was totally captivated by Gillian Durkee and Christina Fox in any scene from ‘Crossing’.  The whole show had a strong viewpoint and I was certainly moved to something.  If you will excuse the cultural reference, A Million Tiny Deaths would make an awesome music video for any one of Rihanna’s darker songs.

Bad: The show was twisted. This is not a terrible thing, but because it was so dark, I felt like some of the really interesting scenes that were a little softer got lost. Also there is a limit to how many incest and rape scenes I want to see in one night. I missed a good portion of the show because a lot of things were played on the floor and couldn’t see with all the people in front of me on the bleachers. If you go tonight, try to sit in at least the second row.

Broad: I left the show last night pretty bothered. I didn’t know how to really write this review because I was certain that although I liked the performances and I loved the atmosphere, the content was just too much for too long.

In retrospect, I can only give my compliments to Kelsey Ferguson and Emily Rosencrantz. They were bold. They were not afraid to push the limits of what their 700 could be: an entirely unique and individual creation.  They had a clear viewpoint and while I am not entirely sure what the message was, I am sure everyone left the zoo feeling the same way. They supported their choices %200 and they got a reaction from the crowd.  A Million Tiny Deaths was cohesive, tight, and something you never really see at Middlebury.

Contextual Rating:  The last show is tonight at 8PM in The Hepburn Zoo.

 If you already have something planned this afternoon/ evening…

…have fun.  See a different show next week.


…do it.  See this show.

…put it off.  See A Million Tiny Deaths. 


.
…skip it. See this show.

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