Review: Mad Horse Streams Theatre of the Absurd Original

Portland's Mad Horse Theatre continues its commitment to new plays by company members during the pandemic. THIS IS JUST INTERMISSION by Jared Mongeau is a one-character absurdist musing on the isolation of the pandemic.

Mongeau's forty-minute video is styled in the tradition of mime, featuring his protagonist, Bloomers LeFaye engaged in a series of clown circus gags, all set i9n a white-walled room with a closet that opens and closes, reinforcing the feeling of Sartrian "No Exit." Silence is the prevailing mode for most of the video, though occasional sound effects and music, as well as one brief speaking interlude constitute the soundscape. There is an existential emptiness to the piece and, I might add, a heavy overlay of ennui, both intended no doubt by Mongeau.

The mime routines include swallowing toy dinosaurs, playing the accordion, and being shadowed by graphic animations of himself. At the conclusion of Bloomers LeFaye's various failed routines, the character speaks sadly, wondering on the meaning of art in a world where human beings are isolated from one another, wondering if one can create art alone and perform it for an audience of no one (or in this case an unseen audience), wondering if the artist 's existence has meaning now? "I wish there was more I could do," he says, "but perhaps the best thing is to stay out of the way and let the people who can help do." And on that note of pathos, he opens the closet door to surprisingly reveal a backdrop of stars. Momentarily, there is a sense of the isolation ceasing as the universe is glimpsed and Bloomers Le Faye sings in a raspy voice "Somewhere Beyond the Sea."

The premise of THIS IS JUST INTERMISSION is relevant and essentially touching, though the length of the exercise seems to exhaust the possibilities. The graphics visuals Zoom animation by Nolan Ellsworth add to the production, and Ronlon Foreman is credited as the clown instructor. Mongeau, who has toured with Circus Smirkus, is disarming and often appealing though one could wish for a tighter, shorter script in which for him to showcase his talents.

As with all the Maine theatres struggling to find ways to connect tp their audiences, Mad Horse Theatre Company is to be congratulated for inspiring new works and seeking alternative means to speak to its public.

Photo courtesy of Mad Horse Theatre

THIS IS JUST INTERMISSION streams until March 7, 2021. Visit www.madhorse.com for pay-what-you-want tickets.

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