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I SAW GONE MISSING BEFORE IT WENT MISSING Review by: Beth M, Jan 7, 2008 |
THE CIVILIANS’ “GONE MISSING”
by Beth Mandelbaum
Ironically, I saw what turned out to be the final performance of the extremely clever and moving show “Gone Missing,” presented by the experimental cabaret style theater troupe, the Civilians. So now, even “Gone Missing” has been lost to us.
When I read the review of this show in the New York Times last summer, I knew immediately that this was something that I didn’t want ... read more to miss.
“Gone Missing” presents a series of sketches, or vignettes, based on numerous interviews done by the members of this performance troupe (which founder Steven Cosson calls, in his notes in the CD, “investigative theater”) with a wide variety of New Yorkers who had stories to tell of a myriad of items which they lost, and to a lesser extent, things that they found. And not only do we learn about the missing objects, we also about the meaning that these objects had for their owners (mostly former owners), along with the wide variety of emotional responses that these losses bring. “Gone Missing” consists of about 30 vignettes, all of which are true stories, interspersed with a number of extremely well written and meaningful songs about loss, written by the composer Michael Friedman.
As someone who is deeply affected by loss (as result of emotional attachments, also a theme of the show) I found “Gone Missing” to be extremely meaningful at a personal level. And I would image that most audience members would inevitably relate to at least some or even many, of the kinds of the losses (and things reclaimed) represented in this show.
All of the actors wear grey suits, grey shirts and grey ties with a minimal backdrop behind them, which seemed to have rays of light on a dark sky. Apparently, the idea for creating a show out of interviews with people who have lost (and found) things began in the summer of 2001. But it wasn’t until after the catastrophe of 9/11 that the Civilians decided to really take on the task of doing the interviews. While 9/11 is only referred to in one very touching vignette about a Security Guard in the Trade Towers who lost his palm pilot while the buildings were falling (though he eventually gets it back), the theme of loss would undoubtedly been very much in mind at this time.
The range of things lost is quite vast: for example, a lost cell phone which drives the owner a bit crazy and who goes to extremes to find it, only to lose it in again in a fall in which it is smashed to smithereens; pieces of jewelry, all of which held great sentimental and personal meaning to the owners, who find themselves sharing memories of what they lost; an uncle’s estate, which the woman interviewed is convinced that she has completely “eradicated” her uncle; the loss of a wallet containing a photograph of a man’s beloved; the hilarious story of a missing black Gucci pump, in which the woman who lost it goes to such extremes as to make endless phone calls, send numerous e-mails, make fliers to be posted all the area where she believed it had been lost, as well as creating an internet site in a near desperate attempt to find the pump, as she feels that it is of no use of just having one Gucci pump!! And in an extremely unlikely place, in a taxi in Brazil, the pump suddenly turns up, having fallen out of a hidden pocket in her bag which she has been carrying around with her from the day that she thought she lost it! (And the black pump is part of the show’s logo!)
One of the most striking and oddly quite humorous remarks regarding things found were those of a police officer who routinely, as part of his job, continually finds dead bodies and grisly body parts! The policeman reappears throughout the show; and it is striking how funny his rather gruesome stories seems, but perhaps they are there for a bit of comic relief from the emotions described which followed the many losses that are experienced in varying degrees of intensity in the show. |
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I saw this show with:
Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Seniors, Tourists, Adults
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Grateful when it was over! Stay home and enjoy flossing your teeth Review by: Susan from Avila, Oct 21, 2007 |
This production was so bad, I find it hard to believe that something of this poor quality could run in New York City. From the script to the acting. it was terrible. Laughs are based on 4 letter word humor. The actors were so visible you could not see the character they played. The "point" of the show at the end, when the actors hang up their jackets and leave the stage, is such heavy handed symbolism, it is a cliche. Save your money for a ... read more new TV. This is no better. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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Review by: ml_one, Aug 14, 2007 |
| I was surprised by the negative review left by er. I really liked this show -- excellent cast, and the songs were great. I literally laughed and lot, and cried a little...I would give it 4.5 out of 5 stars. |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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Anyone
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Lunch was great, but skip the show Review by: er, Aug 6, 2007 |
| The longest 75 minutes I've spent in a long time. I'm convinced the actors / actresses were talented, the theme of the performance has merit, but its execution fell short. Mostly, this wasn't funny and certainly not entertaining. Only a handful of folks in the audience were amused by the script. Not sure what the NY Times was watching when they gave this play rave reviews - if I didn't know better, I'd think I went to the wrong place and wrong ... read more show - maybe I did. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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I saw this show with:
Family
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