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photo: V. Paul Virtucio
When memories of past pleasures shape our present desires, it isn’t unusual to experience a bittersweet longing to relive those recollections. But no matter how emotionally rapturous the desire, the reality of the present can never compare to an idealized past. Still people strive to reignite passions that have long gone cold. Inspired in part by the poetry of Leonard Cohen, Stuart Pimsler Dance & Theater’s new production at the Guthrie’s Dowling Studio, Tales from the Book of Longing explores the ecstasy and anguish of blindly chasing our desires. Though skillfully performed, however, the production feels weighed down by an unbroken melancholy which prohibits the theme from evolving beyond its premise.
As conceived, written, and directed by Stuart Pimsler in collaboration with Suzanne Costello, Tales from the Book of Longing attempts an ambitious program of 16 separate parts, each capable of applying elements of poetry, music, and interpretive dance. While the combination of these elements can be quite varied from movement to movement, the overall production exists in a sustained dreamlike atmosphere. Helping to conjure this surrealistic spell is a lighting design by Karin Olson which shifts layers of darkness punctuated with light, casting suggestive shadows to complement Joe Stanley’s evocative Dali-esque set design.
The talented company of dancers (which, in addition to Pimsler and Costello, includes Brian Evans, Cade Holmseth, Kari Mosel, Laura Selle Virtucio, Roxane Wallace-Patterson, and apprentice Kurt Bloomberg) display a commitment to the material that never wavers, vividly projecting the heightened emotion of each movement through detailed physicality. Underscoring the prevailing mood of a given piece, the dancers are required to range from meditative contemplation to frenzied passion, alternating arrangements with breathless precision. Most striking are the full ensemble sequences, particularly two parts scored to the music of Otis Redding in which dancers briefly bound into one another’s arms before breaking away, exemplifying with simmering passion the perpetual nature of emotional longing.
Unfortunately the musical accompaniment isn’t as cohesive as the performers. Artists like Otis Redding, Philip Glass, Carla Bruni, Antony and the Johnsons, and Anouar Brahem each weave mesmerizing aural backdrops. The sequencing of the music, however, fails to bridge the various parts. Consequently, the production feels like a series of skillfully executed movements that fall short of delivering a unified impact.
Even more problematic, the lack of fusion makes the overall production feel formless and meandering. Without a resolution in sight or a relief from the downhearted mood, an unyielding oppressiveness develops despite the best efforts of the dancers.
Tales from the Book of Longing is undeniably heartfelt, thought-provoking, and deftly performed. Without a focused cohesion to the parts, however, the production loses both its direction and momentum. Like a distant memory, no matter how hard Tales from the Book of Longing strives to connect, it ultimately remains at a frustratingly unreachable distance.
Tales from the Book of Longing runs through October 18th.
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