For those in the audience, the experience is eerily compelling. We hear the films' sounds and watch the physical gestures that accompany them, but we're missing character, narrative, and imagery. The movies are close enough to point to, to hear, and to imagine, but that proximity only makes them feel farther from our grasp.
The poignancy of being close but unreachable structures the evening and takes on political and cultural overtones before the final blackout. Two of the performers, Selma Banich and Mislav Cavajda, are Croatian and speak no English throughout the performance. The other two, Stephen Fiehn and Matthew Goulish, are American and speak no Croatian. The language gap—and the cultural barrier it represents—is left open and untreated like a leftover Cold War scar. So too are the acts of political violence that we are told motivated both Bergman's and Makavejev's work.
But knowledge of Bergman, Makavejev, or Eastern European history is not necessary to appreciate "Let us think," as the four performers channel their ideas into vivid theatrical sequences. Some of the more memorable are Cavajda's singing a lamentation while Banich cowers around him, Goulish's clownlike re-creation of the famous "Dance of Death" sequence, and Fiehn's silent stare in a black cape and lady's hat.
"Let us think" is the premiere work of Every House Has a Door, founded by Goulish and director Lin Hixson after their former collective, Goat Island, disbanded in 2009. It seems to be providing a happy home for the work of these first-rate artists.
Presented by and at Performance Space 122 as part of the COIL Festival, 150 First Ave., NYC. Jan. 5–9. Remaining performances: Fri., Jan. 6, 8 p.m.; Sat., Jan. 7, 6 p.m.; Sun. and Mon., Jan. 8 and 9, 3 p.m. (212) 352-3101, (866) 811-4111, www.theatermania.com, or www.ps122.org.
