Review: Art, Ethics Collide in Riveting World Premiere of I WANT TO DESTROY YOU, at Theatre Vertigo

What would you do if a student brought a gun to class as part of an art assignment? Particularly, what would you do if your own most famous work of art involved getting shot in the arm in front of witnesses in a gallery? That's the conundrum that faces Harold in the world premiere of Rob Handel's I WANT TO DESTROY YOU, now playing at Theatre Vertigo. The character of Harold is based on real-life performance artist Chris Burden, who in 1971 had an assistant shoot him in the arm with a .22 rifle for a piece called Shoot.

I WANT TO DESTROY YOU is a story about art, danger, humanity, and looking at things from different perspectives. Harold, who was known for The Bullet Piece many years ago, is now a studio art teacher in a Master's degree program. When he gives an assignment for his students to create a piece that requires the artist to be fully present, a seemingly troubled student, Mark, shows up with a gun that may or may not be real and may or may not be loaded. Harold is now confronted with a sort-of version of himself from 25 years ago, and he must decide if the piece is art or if Mark is just dangerous.

This play is about a lot more than art and the hot-button issue of bringing guns to school. It's really about how to be present as an authentic person, and about how that can be a dangerous endeavor regardless of whether or not a weapon is involved. It's also about how our perceptions and values change over our lifetimes, and about the choices, or perhaps compromises, we make.

It's a great play, and watching it is an intense emotional experience. My heart was racing for much of the first half, which I'm sure stemmed in part by being in such close quarters with a handgun, even one that's just a prop.

Duffy Epstein is outstanding as Harold. In a play very much about being present in the moment, Epstein is. And because he is so present, as an audience member, you are too. There's no wandering attention in this show, even for a moment.

The cast also includes several Theatre Vertigo company members -- Shawna Nordman and R. David Wylie as students, Nathan Crosby as a contractor, and Holly Wigmore as Harold's daughter -- whose performances I always enjoy.

I also appreciated Matthew B. Zrebski's direction. In the play, Harold makes a comment to the effect that you can't teach someone art because that's like teaching them how to be human. Zrebski's direction brings this parallel front and center so that even though the play is about the students and faculty at an expensive art college, it really could be about any of us.

I WANT TO DESTROY YOU has several themes. As you walk out, you might find yourself talking about art, gun rights, compromise, or a host of other things. But for sure you will have something to talk about.

I WANT TO DESTROY YOU runs through Feb. 20. Get your tickets at http://theatrevertigo.org/.

Photo credit: Gary Norman

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