THREE

Bossy Flyer—One88

I happened to run into a friend at this show, and on the way out I commented to her that it was “very artsy and Fringe-y, physically impressive, and also kinda hot”, an assessment with which she seemed to agree. The same company had a hit last year with Flight, an adaptation of The Little Prince, and this show worked a similar magic, though not in so kid-friendly a manner.

I say that not only because the sexual tension in this thing exceeds the legal limit in seventeen states and the District of Columbia, but also because there’s no narration as there was in the previous show – maybe six words are spoken, mostly little outbursts serving more as sound effects than dialogue. The audience is left to decide for themselves what’s happening, though it probably helps if you know it’s a loose adaptation of Sartre’s No Exit. Not knowing this at the time I watched it – I only learned this as I was reading up in preparation for writing this review – I had interpreted it a bit differently, as about a triad relationship that isn’t terribly healthy, but that no-one can actually bring themselves to walk away from. I’d argue that thematically, I wasn’t all that far off.

Of course, it’s perfectly defensible to ignore all that and just go to admire this group’s always impressive acrobatics. In fact, for what is in many ways a very “Fringe-y” production, there’s something here to appeal to a surprisingly wide variety of audiences. It’ll make you gasp, it’ll make you think, and there’s a good chance it’ll make you horny.

Jeff Heikkinen