By FRANK SCHECK
Rating: 
Last updated: 12:04 pm
October 7, 2008
Posted: 3:07 am
October 7, 2008
MANY shows involve audience participation, but few provide as heady a sense of empowerment as "Eureka!" does. This latest experimental production by the indefatigable Living Theatre gives audiences the chance to do nothing less than re-create the big bang while revisiting the '60s.
I say the '60s because the piece, adapted by Judith Malina and the late Hanon Reznikov from an 1847 essay by Edgar Allan Poe, recalls the theatrical happenings of that "be-in" era. Audience members, who stand for the duration, take part, and the actors are constantly - and literally - in your face.
The only recognizable characters are Poe (Anthony Sisco) and 19th-century German scientist Alexander von Humboldt (Silas Inches), who, along with the scantily clad ensemble, guide the audience through elaborate rituals involving chanting, movement and suggestions for how to save the cosmos, which basically run to "Make love!" and "Shake your booty!"
Should you go, you might want to leave your inhibitions at home. Comfortable shoes would help, too.
EUREKA!
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