No one expected it to last this long. But after more than a year in Union Square, which is fast becoming the Times Square of Off-Broadway theatre, this show is still flying high.
It is mainly performed above its audience's heads. I do not mean this figuratively. Literally, 'De La Guarda' is performed overhead. A cast of eight flies through the air, runs on walls, and defies conventional rules of gravity and theatre to bring to New York the most original performance piece the city has seen since Blue Man Group.
This Argentinian import is the closest thing to Artaudian theatre that has yet been assembled. Even Antonin Artaud himself did not produce something like this: he only wrote about it. This show realizes his vision and makes it invigorating to partake in. As an attendee, you are not merely watching a show. You are the show. This production grabs its audience by the spine, turns it inside out, throws it against the floor, kissing and stomping on it until it has no choice but to come back for more.
You may choose to enjoy this strictly for the visceral sensation it invokes. But coupled with the sensory assault is very pointed symbolism and social commentary. This show does not survive on spectacle alone.
The original music alternately lulls theatergoers into dreamlike submission, then wakes us up and makes us dance. The performers, both male and female, provide an aggressive sensuality. There's something very sexy about a strange Argentinian woman removing your shirt in the middle of a show. If you don't believe me, find out for yourself. Or ask my friend. He left the theatre with lipstick marks on his chest and a smile on his face.
This show plays by its own rules (Which are actually quite clearly spelled out and posted on the lobby walls), and is doing quite a job at redefining some set by others. After attending, many ask, 'Can it be called theatre?'
Others respond, 'Can anything else?'