Review: THE ALUMINUM SHOW at the Edison Theatre

I've seen a lot of unusual and unique productions, especially since I've been checking out the Ovations! Series at the Edison Theatre the past couple of years, and a recent presentation of The Aluminum Show (April 30, 2011) provided yet another example of the kind of energetic and engaging fare that I've come to expect from them. Though I've seen the show described as being some kind of cross between Blue Man Group and Stomp, it's really something else entirely. In fact, with it's use of recycled industrial material, it has more in common with ScrapArtsMusic than it does with either of those. What it does provide is a dazzling display of tightly choreographed dance set to pulsating music, combining puppetry, along with remote-controlled "critters" and outlandish costuming, to produce a spectacle wholly different from anything you've ever seen before.

There actually is a sort of plot that threads through this collection of artful set pieces, and it concerns the missing offspring of a male and female tube (for lack of a better description, but imagine a giant silver vacuum cleaner hose with a glowing ring of light emanating from within). Their slinky-like progeny goes off on a series of adventures that finds him scuttling across the stage as a sort of punchline to each movement.

Before they inevitably meet up again for a happy finish, we're treated to a wide variety of active and interactive bits that showcase all manner of use for the malleable metal, including a bevy of over-sized, but lightweight aluminum pillows that are batted around the audience and, at one point, a large volume of spaghetti-like tubing that's expelled directly into the crowd. Another clever scene finds the cast assembling and animating a huge "man" made out of sections of inflatable material.

An athletic and enthusiastic cast of performers includes: Dusty Alvarado, Christina Belinsky, Angela Buccinni, Joven Calloway, Samantha Goltz, Scott Lowe, Daniel Moser, Jeremy A. Towle, Lina Yang, Von Ali Wright, as well as the deft work of robotics operator Ira Katin.

The combined efforts of creator and artistic director Ilan Azriel along with composer Ivri Lider (with cover arrangements by Itay Bacharach), choreographer Una Holbrook, and co-director Dodd Loomis, have coalesced into an intriguing and surprisingly compelling show. They're aided greatly by Michael Kramenko's striking set design, Roy Milo's flashy lighting scheme, Yaron Zino's eye-popping costumes, the robotics of Dmitry Gourevich, and the special effects of Yuval Kedem.

The Aluminum Show is a one of a kind attraction, showcasing the innovative and imaginative work of an extremely talented and diverse cast and crew. I was able to bring my wife and son along and they both thoroughly enjoyed the experience, so it's also family-friendly.

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