Numbness: Chapter 2

See it if you like inventive theater experiment that strives to create a full sensory experience.

Don't see it if you cannot abide a non-linear “plot”.

Also In “Numbness: Chapter 2” 3 highly physical, high-octane performers (with a recurring live doll cameo) wrap a plot about climate collapse around a shorter story about border crossing. (2 writers are credited.) But the non-linear plot, with its echoes of surrealist & absurdist theater, is not the major focus here. In the intimate New Ohio basement space, the actors take the audience through a gripping moment-by-moment sensory journey that involves water, jello, charcoal briquettes, talcum powder, cheese, rum & much else before we reach the finish line. I was deeply engaged throughout; I have a feeling that audience members who prefer recognizable characters & a linear plot will be less thrilled that I was.... Read more Read less

See it if to see an inventive, wild and throughly entertaining storyteller in Daniel Irizarry

Don't see it if if you don't like adventurous theater

See it if you like edgy, experimental theater that finds new ways to explore the human condition.

Don't see it if you prefer linear plots that make sense.

See it if you want to see a rule-breaking, boundary-crossing, thought-provoking, vexing, playful, moving, post-apocalyptic, absurdist theatre piece.

Don't see it if ur numb to the tensions surging in our current climate that lead to questioning what the future holds for society; u dislike experimentation

See it if In an underground kitchen, the effects of the apocalypse cause a couple to dive deeply into the theatre of the absurd. Intense dramedy.

Don't see it if Second of a trilogy. Unsure if prior commitment is necessary for satisfaction. Despite cling splosh provisions, expect some sploshing about.

See it if If you want to see actors chopping jello with a knife and dispersing water & baby powder while careening about the theater.

Don't see it if Whenever you see terms like "experimental or anarchic" theater, run for the hills. This would be one of them.

See it if you relish being let in to a play without a logical narrative and with actors who are certainly extremely agile and enthusiastic.

Don't see it if you're not a fan of theater of the absurd.

Also Maybe I'm not adventurous enough, but this just didn't do it for me. And I do like Ionesco, Genet, Beckett, et. al.... Read more Read less

See it if Inventive, clever & daring are just 3 ways to describe this show, which is a throwback to the experimental downtown theatre from the 80s.

Don't see it if You are squeamish or don't like audience participation.

See it if you want a fun filled experience of absurdism by a company that has a exuberant, delightful grasp on the genre.

Don't see it if if you can't let go of your need for a narrative that makes sense.

Also I've only seen absurdist theater a few times and I always think it's a risk, but this inspired company feels like it was born to do this genre. I went into the experience with misgivings, but I left the theater elated. The actors were masters of this genre...so compelling, so entertaining, so committed to this wild, hysterically funny world that they invited us into. There was so much eye candy going on: gorgeous movements, beautiful words, clicking dolphin dialogue, spontaneous dance parties, and a treasure chest of props and set pieces. To tell you the truth, early on I let go of any hope of stringing a narrative out of the script, or understanding who the characters were or where they were, but the blurb I read online was that it was a cross between Dada and Pina Bausch (more Dada then Bausch, I think) so I remembered that Dada is about frustrating meaning, and I let go of my need for plot, place and resolution, and just surfed on the insane joy of it all.... Read more Read less

See it if You like theatre that pushes the boundary of what you think a story can be

Don't see it if You don't like experimental theatre and don't like audience participation

See it if You’re open-minded, have a sense of humor, and in search of something DIFFERENT

Don't see it if You’re prudish, hate intimate theatre settings, afraid of getting water splashed on you, or dislike audience-participation