BWW Reviews: GOGOL ANNEX Bringing Immersive Piece ANTEBELLUM to the New Orleans Fringe Festival

Coming to the New Orleans Fringe Festival this year is a piece that is sure to capture the attention of local theatre supporters. New York City/Toronto based theatre company GOGOL ANNEX is bringing their show ANTEBELLUM to Mardi Gras Zone this weekend.

Leah Loftin of GOGOL ANNEX explained that their theatre company is inspired by a lot of the work that they have done with theatre in Russia, and that their pieces are very experimental and based on historic people and events. "It's very progressive. We have a couple of pieces in development, and ANTEBELLUM is one of them. We work a lot with historical texts and historical characters. Right now we're really interested in these kinds of pockets, specifically history and stories that haven't necessarily been told," says Loftin.

The piece is a thirty-five minute installation that re-visits New Orleans during the pre-Civil War era, highlighting three characters that you probably won't find in your middle school history books. These figures are Bricktop, a prostitute; The Colonel, a gambler; and The Nightingale (Jenny Lind), a world-renowned opera singer made famous by P.T. Barnum (yes, that P.T. Barnum... the circus guy). Lofton explains, "Each of our characters is celebrated or notorious in their own realms. The prostitute is the most notorious prostitute. The colonel is the most notorious gambler. Jenny Lind was this high-toned figure of celebrity."

Although the company has caught the interest of several theaters in New York City, the ensemble is particularly excited to bring this piece to Fringe Festival because they wanted to produce the piece outside of New York City first, and what better place to premiere a piece about historical figures in New Orleans than in New Orleans?!

Lofton says that this production is definitely not a musical, but music does play a big part. There is a French folk song used as a sort of theme throughout the production as well as a soundscape. In fact, music and sound are so important to this production that Lofton stated, "the music and sound is like a fourth character."

Unlike traditional theatre, this production isn't set up scene-by-scene. Each of the characters does have their own performance time, however there are "group numbers" in which the characters interact simultaneously. The individual pieces and the group pieces work together to create a portrait of each of these characters and what New Orleans was like during this time period.

Also unlike traditional theatre, there is no seating for the audience. Lofton explains the concept of immersive theatre, "They [the audience members] are actually free to walk amongst the performers. You're much closer to an actor than you would normally be. You're witnessing theatricality, but there's just something very special. You're kind of in the driver's seat and you can control what you're looking at. It's a very engaging style of theatre that's more than just a play."

Fringe festival is a launching point for this intriguing and innovative work of art. Please support GOGOL ANNEX in their efforts to re-define what a theatrical experience should be while learning a bit of untold, gritty New Orleans history. Go see ANTEBELLUM!

The New Orleans Fringe Festival started yesterday, November 20, and continues this weekend through Sunday, November 24. Catch GOGOL ANNEX's performances of ANTEBELLUM starting tonight 11/21 at 9pm, 11/22 at 5pm, 11/23 at 7pm, and 11/24 at 11pm. Click here for more information on tickets and location.

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