Turn Ons: The perfect place to meet a super-hero.
Turn Offs: The perfect place to damage any confidence you have in your own skills or talents.
Rate My Date:
- Not My Type
- 1 Night Stand
- Crush
In Love
- Happily Ever After
This small cast of 7 performers (6 guys, 1 girl) left no trace of being mere mortals like the rest of us. These athletes/acrobats/dancers/artists push themselves physically beyond what seems humanly possible. In fact, I think they just might be the forgotten mutants from the X-Men series. Whatever their reason for being so insanely gifted, fearless and sculpted to physical perfection, I couldn't help but think that these people have absolutely no problems getting laid! (insert twinge of jealousy).
Besides showing off their physical prowess, the cast infused traces of themselves into the show via a floating mic that descended intermittently into the space. They titillated us with personal details such as their height, weight, hometown and personality traits such as "helpless romantic" admitted by the cast's doppleganger for Sawyer from the former TV hit "Lost". That type of personalization was a sure reminder that the cast is in fact human and that we, the audience, were a lower variety of the human species. It made them feel, at once, tangible yet inapproachable. Because, who amongst us could truly be a match for such adept masters of expressive contemporary dance, classical piano, Chinese Pole, hand balancing and jumping through hoops (to mention only a few of their skills). I was either jumping out of my seat or sitting nervously on its edge with a wide-eyed gaze into their raw, drab and industrial world created by the perfect set to contrast the vibrancy and energy of their performance.
The only deterrent to our "happily ever after" relationship was the lack of clear story-line or thread to guide these physical phenoms thru the 90min of non-stop action showcasing the enviable diversity of their talents. Not to mention that any long-term relationship with Traces would only be damaging to my self-esteem and a constant reminder of how far I am from fulfilling my own fantasies of being a mutant.
Traces
Union Square Theatre, 100 East 17th Street (between Park Ave South and Irving)
Getting There By Subway:
- 4, 5, 6, N, Q, R, W, L to 14th Street - Union Square
