Fringe, Reviewed: 99 Breakups
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
"Most of the sequences lack heart, even while we intellectually understand that hearts are breaking."
[theater]
99 Breakups by Pig Iron Theatre Company
Attended: Sat. Sept. 6, 9 p.m., PAFA; Closes: Tues. Sept. 16, 9 p.m.
Couples break up. Bands split apart. Cells cleave in two. Particles collapse.
WE THINK:
The theme of my FringeArts experiences on Saturday, Sept. 6 seemed to be: "Scripts written by everybody are written by nobody." (See also, Wendy & Peter and Incongruous.)
Fortunately, Pig Iron Theatre Company's illustrious history shows they are experts at everything they attempt in 99 Breakups, even if this show doesn't prove the point.
They incorporate the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Art (PAFA) inventively, splitting the audience into five groups that tour from room to room, witnessing various breakups. None are entirely realistic; often, elements are added (megaphones, breathing beings that amplify emotions, the main lobby's stairs) that playfully accentuate the emotional upheavals. But should an exploration of the universally known pain of breakups be only funny, clever and arty? Most of the sequences lack heart, even while we intellectually understand that hearts are breaking.
It's a messy hodgepodge of often fascinating moments but overlong, with too many moments spent waiting (often standing) for scenes to begin or other groups to clear away, resulting in a hurry-up-and-wait weariness. Created by everybody, it feels shaped by nobody, even running over 30 minutes longer than announced (be warned, their "75 minutes" is close to 2 hours).
It ends in a large-scale, lengthy dance sequence in the main rotunda, in which performers of many different dancing abilities all do the same thing more or less in unison. For sheer endurance, it's impressive.
All the Pig Iron trademarks are here: the play as a magical mystery tour of a space, a strong ensemble, witty ideas, clever surprises. However, as the old song says, breaking up is hard to do. So, apparently, is sharing any fresh insight about it.
