Polendo Perfects Play
According to director Ruben Polendo, theater is the art of interpretation. For instance, the Broadway musical Spring Awakening transforms Frank Wedekind’s 1891 play into a modern rock concertesque performance. Similarly, in Blind Mouth Singing, Polendo designed a play, which not only delivers a unique interpretation of the script but also a lifelike experience for the audience.
The play itself is a portrayal of a rather dysfunctional family located somewhere in South America. Set in the late 19th or early 20th century (which can only be deduced based on the possessions of the family), the family, composed of a strict mother, her younger sister who secretly treats syphilis, and two brothers, Reiderico and Gordi, encounter a vast array of problems that range from the lack of a male figurehead to a hurricane. With a number of subplots, the story’s primary focus is the younger son, Reiderico, who converses every night in private with his best friend Lucero. But to complicate matters, Lucero lives in the bottom of a well, which suggests that he is only real in Reiderico’s mind. As the story progresses, Lucero makes his way out of the well (figuratively of course but portrayed on stage in a literal sense) and is able to accomplish much of which his brother could not, such as standing up to his older brother Gordi and eventually leaving the house to pursue a life in the city.
Naturally, as in most plots that focus on a character’s multiple personalities, the story is far from straight forward. Bearing much resemblance to the 1999 hit movie Fight Club, the story of Blind Mouth Singing is completely dependent on presentation. But in this aspect, Polendo does not disappoint. The design of the stage immediately makes it clear to the audience that the well (that runs horizontally with only an inch or two of depth) is the focus due to its presence in the middle, cutting the stage in half. In addition, there is a large fan in the back wall of the stage, which is completely man powered. The fan creates a more realistic atmosphere in the changing from daytime to evening and serves a highly important role during the scene of the hurricane. In addition, the inclusion of Gordi actually smoking a cigar on stage added realism due to the smell it created that circled throughout the theater. Polendo commented that he would have loved to have the mother actually cook during that particular scene, but was not given the permission by Baruch College. But the most remarkable aspect of realism was that provided by the foley artist, Adam Cochran. Cochran provided all sounds of reality such as the winds of the hurricane, the footsteps of Gordi running, and the sounds of punches, all of which were created with devices such as a metal teapot, aluminum foil, and an object resembling a test tube.
Despite the fan, the cigar, and the foley artist, the focus of everyone’s attention, on stage and off, was the well. The well itself serves a different purpose for each family member. For Reiderico, the well is a direct representation of his mind, while for his mother, the well is used for disposal of objects that are linked to her past love with her husband. The brilliance of Polendo enabled him to take the well, an object that possesses depth, and turn it horizontal, creating the feeling that the audience was at the bottom of the well and was witnessing everything from Lucero’s perspective. While it might have been much more realistic to have a difference in height to symbolize the well, the creation of a horizontal well that had a few inches of standing water created a remarkable feeling of interpretation for the audience amidst all the realism that was previously stated. In a follow-up discussion, Polendo described how a vertical well would have resulted in the audience viewing only the top of the actors’ head, creating a much less intimate environment. Polendo’s complete knowledge of every aspect of the play further illustrated his brilliance.. This was a director who was completely on top of everything that happened in his production, which showed on stage in a flawless performance that cost only $60,000.
All of the ingredients, including the realistic aspect, and the interpretative aspect, came together to create a rather delicious work of art. But the icing on the cake was the director, Ruben Polendo, who added another dimension to the performance during the class discussion, delivering a complete and extensive overview of the production of the play, and the thought process that went into the actual creation of the performance. Both play itself, and talkback session, worked together to create a once in a lifetime opportunity in observing every aspect of a performance from a third person point of view; allowing the viewer to see not only what was presented, but know exactly why it was presented in that way.