Quick Quick A storm is coming. Who am I?
“Blind Mouth Singing,” a riveting play constructed around a family’s struggle; a tug of war back and forth between where you are and where you want to be, who you are an who you want to be. A mystifying, yet compelling play written by Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas, and its beauty compounded by a magnificent cast from the National Asian American Theater Company (a non-profit organization). The Baruch Performing Arts Center stage is skillfully transformed into various things, from the deepest corners of a person’s mind to the rooftop of a house right before our very eyes. Given the meticulous directing and interpretation of the play, the director Ruben Polendo creates an ever shifting world, soon to be turned upside down as the tempest (foreshadowing omen) draws ever closer.
But what drew them together? How did they decide how everyone was going to come into being? Much unlike film, the art of theater is limited to the imaginary parts of the audience’s mind, which leaves very little wiggle room. There are few to no margins for error; one take is all they get for each showing. Furthermore, because it is aimed at the imagination, the director is faced with the colossal task of interpreting the set and words/actions in such a manner that would do justice to the piece of literature that it is being derived from. As director Ruben Polendo stated, “Film is the art of statement…theater is the art of suggestion,” in one phrase, communicating the difficulty he had with not having the physical setting , but rather having to give the notion that the scene is taking place in a certain place.
In light of this, there is the question of the well, what inspired Polendo to turn something vertical into something horizontal? In his words, the horizontal well “allows the audience to see the actors’ faces… it represents the space between the two people.” Ultimately, this set was developed through countless hours of collaboration between the director and the stage designers; the horizontal well. In a sense, the well allows the audience to become part of the play, and to get the entire experience; from climbing the well, so exploring its depths. Furthermore, the horizontal rendition of the well set the stage for the idea that the well was a “place of secrets,” for it stores all the memories and objects that have been cast off into it, never to be thought of again.
And that fan, the ominous, foreboding feature lurking in the back of the stage. This one component should not be overlooked and somehow, doesn’t feel a bit out of place during the entire production. Surprisingly enough, this is not electrically operated, every time it spins, there is someone there, carefully timing the spins and speed of each rotation. The fan serves for several vital purposes throughout the play: from representing the storm to being a form of showing change. Almost immediately, the entire play is enhanced every time the propeller goes into motion; whether it spins ever so slightly, or is at full blast.
With every little detail taken into consideration, and every prop utilized to the fullest extent, director Ruben Polendo does an astounding job in coordinating the play. Ultimately, in working with every member of the cast and crew, the entire company succeeded in achieving the goal of bringing the entire production to life. Beyond imagination is one way of describing the play, however, surreal is a better way to explain how the interpretation, the script, and set fused to become one with the others.