A review from Bob Lichtenbert (meaninginart.org) of Mike Czuba’s Satie et Cocteau.
Produced by Genesis Theatrical Productions. Directed by Elayne LeTraunik.
Featuring: Scott Purdy as Cocteau and Dwight Sora as The Actor (Satie)
“Satie et Cocteau” by Genesis Theatrical Productions (Meaning Grade: 89%) features surrealist poet Jean Cocteau’s attempting to deal with the death of his friend, the composer Eric Satie, by directing an actor in a play that the poet wrote about the musician. As Cocteau was doing surrealism years before this arts movement emerged, this play represents imagination squared, but not much about the physical world.
Although it is sometimes hard to tell the difference between waking, dreams and opim-induced states, that is not the point. The point seems to create more and better reality through the arts. Thus, this play attains a high level of meaning since it is so well acted, directed and designed, mostly by plastic tubular pipes.
What I enjoyed most about this play was playwright Mike Czuba’s frequent references to basic ideas in the arts, poetry and life, for example: “the truth is a lie in the theater; don’t think, be; Cocteau aims to find the essence of poetry by looking for the life that is not seen-intangible! And he can make a circle of light around an actor; we are dreams, fantasies and illusions to be alive.”
I find all these statements fundamental and inspiring, even though Satie lambastes critics as too realistic.
“Satie et Cocteau” begins as a “memory of a memory of an actual event” between the two innovative artists. Cocteau admits that it ends as more of a masquerade probably because it reflects poorly on him.
Robert Lichtenbert,
May 21, 2016
DANCING MONKEY LABORATORIES 