At the intersection of visual art, movement, music, and the written word lives the collaborative company Happenstance Theater. Under the Artistic Co-Direction of Mark Jaster and Sabrina Selma Mandell, the current troupe has been together for over a dozen years, creating, staging and then touring with what they term Poetic Theatre. It’s the type of operation that includes the crew roles of Visionary Tornado (Mandell) and Minister of Thoughtfulness (Sarah Olmsted Thomas).
Just opening in Theater B at 59E59 Theaters, their piece Juxtapose: A Theatrical Shadow Box is inspired by Joseph Cornell with the whiff of a storyline influenced by the films of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Jacques Tati. The result is one of charming engagement, more about sensory experience than narrative. Upon entry to the house, one is confronted by a large white wooden frame against a black backdrop with a collection of props on either side. (Examples of Cornell’s work are on view near the theater door for those unfamiliar with his famous boxes comprised of found objects and ephemera.) This central structure takes on various interpretations throughout the performance, but primarily signifies the walls and halls of a lodging house at a time of widespread environmental and political upheaval.
Just like Cornell’s artwork, each scene is intricately assembled with items — a ladder, a ball, a rope — that take on meaning because of their relationship to other elements in the tableau. The rhythm is gentle and likely unfamiliar, with dialogue playing a secondary role to other sounds as well as expansive silence. Shape, color and space are as important as words and phrases like “odd bird,” “through the roof” and “out of the blue” take on unexpected form.
The script’s structure is closer to a short story collection than a traditional stage play. Yet it is possible to discern the caring feelings that flows among the characters. Mark Jaster’s dandy Collector has an apartment filled with natural wonders that fascinate even the uninitiated. Upstairs is Olmsted Thomas’s Étoile, a ballerina with an anxiety disorder whom the others seek to console. Her unusual neighbor Blue, portrayed by puppeteer Alex Vernon, uses pantomime and physical adroitness to provide joyful distraction to his found family. Their daily rhythm is interrupted when Gwen Grastorf as Spilleth literally crashes into their lives. Every interaction is overseen by their nimble concierge, Rosabelle, played with a commanding air by the multi-hatted Mandell. (She also designed the costumes.)
Direction is handled by Jaster and Mandell, but this is a team sport and every player enhances the energy of the others. They are also supported by skilled outsiders who add ingredients to the complex brew. Madeline Oslejsek’s sound design mixes otherworldly noises with crackling radio announcements and controls the listed musical cues so that they appear to emanate from Rosabelle’s old victrola. And lighting design by Daniel Weisglass and Kris Thompson augments the choreography and sleight of hand.
There is something remarkably expansive about witnessing Juxtapose and the evolving art form of Happenstance. Though there is a haunting sense of jeopardy from the moment the house lights dim, the feeling that dominates is one of pulling together. It is being performed at 59E59 Theaters, 59 east 59th Street. Running time is 75 minutes without an intermission. Tickets are $44 for all remaining shows through January 25. Visit https://www.59e59.org/shows/show-detail/juxtapose-a-theatrical-shadow-box/ for details and purchases.
The Unforgettable Line 