When I tell people that I went to see Fuerza Bruta- an Off-Broadway show with 6 years under its belt- the automatic response I receive is “Oh what’s it about?” Each time I’m presented with the challenge of explaining what is not a show, but an experience. It’s theater for people who don’t like theatre. It is also theater for those who do like theater because they expose themselves to all different kinds of art. The show’s website describes Fuerza Bruta better than I can- “a nonstop collision of music, emotion and aerial imagery. The show helped usher in a new breed of immersive theatrical experiences as cast members, some of them dripping wet, mingle with the audience, which remains standing in the club-like space.” There is no spoken language, just a seamless transition from one unusual visual to an even more unusual one, all to a backdrop of bright lights and mystical sounds.

Some of the things that happened during the show:

– A man in a white suit walks along a conveyer-like platform. Then he jogs. Then he runs. Then he runs through walls. Then he gets shot. And then he walks again.

– Floor-to-ceiling panels of foil-like material encircle the room and dancers scale these walls.

– A giant screen made of clear, rubbery plastic descends upon the audience, and dancers swim, very artistically, in the pool above

Whether or not there is an underlying message to it all, I don’t know. There very well could be. In fact, there probably is and I have inkling as to what it can be- a statement on the urgency of liberation from the typical, systematic, monotonous, 9-5 lifestyle. But regardless of its deeper meaning, it is an immersive experience that is not to be missed! Especially since it is coming to a close on January 6^th! And as The New York Times puts it, “the key demographic for “Fuerzabruta” is probably clubgoing, overstimulated college kids not worried about soiling their togs from H&M. Not to mention all those on the dark side of 30 who wish they were still clubgoing, overstimulated college kids.” So it’s well-suited for both the students and the Professor.