Talking Band has been generating their unique brand of performance art for more than 50 years. Last year, they received a Lifetime Achievement Obie Award for their whimsical thought provoking body of work, which includes Painted Snake in a Painted Chair (2003), Panic! Euphoria! Blackout (2010), and Shimmer and Herringbone (2024). Their latest creation, Triplicity (rhymes with simplicity), fills their singular mold with its poetic storytelling, musical interludes and distinctive movement. Written and composed by founding member Ellen Maddow, it follows three people whose lives fleetingly touch as New Yorkers often do. Adding a score to their communion is an attuned street performer stationed near the West Village Path train.
Anna Kiraly’s staggered set is suggestive of distinct yet related households, with welcoming doorways and windows that are more light display than light admitting. A small projection screen stage right provides a musical title for each scene. The only pop of color is behind the musician who is aptly named Calliope after the muse of epic poetry. The character is brought to blazing life by the one-of-a-kind El Beh, a performer with too many hyphens to list. Costume designer Olivera Gajic has likewise saved her most vivid selections for this unique goddess, at one point reminding us they are the key by dressing them in keys. The lighting design by Mary Ellen Stebbins by turns unites and divides the characters with cool pools.
Though small, the cast well-represents the broad range of generations, appearances, and sensibilities of a New York City neighborhood. The first resident we meet is Frankie, a retired bookkeeper played by Talking Band regular Lizzie Olesker. At first she shrugs off her days as repetitive and grey, but they take on definition with each recounting. Next we are introduced to an empathic budding non-fiction writer, an exuberant Amara Granderson. Rounding out the unlikely trio is an exterminator from Bay Ridge with a soft spot for bee hives. Steven Rattazzi’s rendering is so genuine, one could reasonably expect him to change into work overalls and grab a bag of sticky traps post-show. The triad is doing its best to give each day a purpose and act responsibly. With choreography by Sean Donovan and Brandon Washington augmenting Artistic Director Paul Zimet’s stage direction, the stories flow one to the other with phrases and key words echoed by Calliope’s dramatic accompaniment and wardrobe. As Frankie often says, “That’s all; that’s it.” But often that’s more than enough.
Triplicity is a quieter piece than some of the Talking Band’s more overtly political work. But it’s as diverting as a warm afternoon in Christopher Park. The plot’s interlacing threads work as a reminder that ultimately we are in this life together. The limited run is at Mabou Mines, a comfortable six row house at 122CC, 150 First Avenue between 9th and 10th Streets. The performance schedule is Mondays and Wednesdays – Saturdays at 7pm with matinees Sundays at 2pm and an additional 2pm performance on Saturday, October 25. Running time is 70 minutes without intermission. Tickets are $30/$40 and available for purchase at www.talkingband.org/triplicity.
The Unforgettable Line 