The Iceman Lab
Target Margin Theater presents a radical approach to Eugene O'Neill's 'The Iceman Cometh,' with a quartet of artists each tackling a separate act of the play.
... Read moreAudiences can see each act separately, or all four together as a unified whole.
Iceman Act I by Julia Sirna-Frest: Harry Hope’s saloon is turned upside-down as an all-out O’Neill sing-along song cycle. All 17 characters get chances to shine on stage.
Iceman Act II by Yuris Skujins: Act II turns the stage into a birthday celebration for Harry Hope and the delirious booze-soaked souls that fill his bar.
Iceman Act III by Katie Rose McLaughlin: Six female dancers play O’Neill’s 14 barflies in a highly choreographed study of existential dread, rising to the occasion and falling back down again.
Iceman Act IV by Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew: An audio and live-action puppetry animation journey into the sobering minds of the wax figures who were once proud and ambivalent drunks at Harry Hope’s bar.
- Official Site
- Already closed
- HERE Arts Center / Mainstage Theatre (Soho/Tribeca)
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Reviews (5)
3 Critics' Reviews
"Bold, playful, vivifying re-creation of the Eugene O’Neill classic...Taken together, they make a smart and thought-provoking show that repeatedly upends expectations, distilling the essence of O’Neill’s 'Iceman' into new forms that mostly do away with the tedium. (Act II is the unfortunate exception.)...Each of these pieces is meant to be able to stand on its own. They certainly can, though if you don’t know the original much of the meaning will be lost." Full Review
"'In Act III of the 'Iceman Lab' series, five female dancers evoke all of the characters in Harry’s bar. They perform McLaughlin’s choreography beautifully…At this final Act of the 'Iceman Lab,' there are so many fascinating layers that I both want to explore and also protect. In other words, I want to tell you all about the very clever way the piece uses elements such as stage directions, but I don’t want to ruin the surprises in store for those who attend." Full Review
"Though it’s not totally obvious, it absolutely works...An Indie-glam-rock song cycle where each song represents a different character…I found myself really wishing that Sirna-Frest would transform more plays in this fashion…In Act II, the cartoon violence and general detachment of the characters pushes the scene into another genre, but the play is still somewhat recognizable here…The contrast between these two performances is jarring and fascinating." Full Review
2 Members' Reviews
See it if You love O'Neill, intense ensemble drama, and experimental renderings to f classics.
Don't see it if You are a purist and want your classics done classically.
See it if You have an open mind for big, ambitious, experimental theatre.
Don't see it if You seek something more conventional.