Review: TOO MUCH LIGHT MAKES THE BABY GO BLIND at Woolly Mammoth

There's really no reason to mince words: if you haven't season the Neo-Futurists' To Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind yet-in fact, even if you have-get yourself a ticket to the troupe's stop in D.C. at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company right this minute. In a town where theatre can sometimes feel mired in classics, overly scripted, and trapped behind the proscenium arch, Too Much Light is revitalizing.

The concept behind the show is simple yet unique. The troupe of actors has sixty minutes to present thirty plays. Some plays are movement pieces, many are comedy, some are sad monologues, others are pointed political satire. They are all written by the actors on stage and acted with precision, fearlessness and joy by the ensemble. The audience decides the order of the plays, calling out a number from a paper menu listing all thirty titles as soon as an ensemble member shouts "curtain" to signal the end of the proceeding play. The house lights stay up all night, audience members are pulled on stage, and by the end of the night as timer goes off, the air in the theatre is electric with laughter. After every show in the run a random number of the plays will be replaced, ensuring that audience members can return again and again and find something new. This formula has proved so successful it has kept Too Much Light running for twenty-five years in Chicago and eleven years in New York City, and it's in fine form in D.C. as well.

The success of this setup depends entirely on the strength of the ensemble and their written material. The ensemble, which on opening night consisted of Ida Cuttler, Bilal Dardai, Trevor Dawkins, Lily Mooney, and Malic White, were perfectly in sync with each other, switching between joyful comedy and quiet moments with the speed and purpose that most improv teams can only dream of. Not a single play fell flat. From the purely ridiculous (a Sumo-style Ramen eating competition in "GRECO-RAMEN") to pointed social commentary (a quick jab at the media's jump to label crimes by people of color as terrorism in "journalism.") to introspection (an examination of unusual love between parents in "How did I happen?") to the raunchily absurd (a shoot-out with dildos in "Standoff: Sex Shop, Sundown."), every play hit its note.

Supporting all the madness on stage was a solid technical performance. Despite the breakneck speed, light and sound cues were designed and executed perfectly, and props appeared from the wings at just the right moment. Even the pre-show music seemed just right; a solid playlist of punk and playful indie welcomed audience members as ensemble members handed out nametags with ridiculously incorrect names.

The one play that seemed to truly sum up Too Much Light was "All of my friends are here tonight". One by one, each ensemble member touched blue face paint to their face and began to clap in sync with the pounding music, imitating a heartbeat. One by one, they ran into the audience, sharing the facepaint, spreading the heartbeat. By the end of the three-minute play, the whole house was standing and clapping. It ended suddenly, and the spell was broken. But as I exited the theatre I saw multiple audience members walking out into the night with smiles and blue paint on their face. By the time the show ended, we were indeed all friends, all united by a seriously special shared experience. What else can you ask for from a night at the theatre?

Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind runs Tues-Sun through January 3, 2016 at Woolly Mammoth theatre. Tickets start at $35, and $20 are available for patrons under 30. There are also discounts available for first responders, active US military personnel, spouses, and veterans.

Photos by Joe Mazza Brave Lux

To post a comment, you must register and login.