Wednesday, January 7, 2004
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Wednesday, January 7, 2004 |
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Horizon Theatre stages cult classic By MICHAEL BOYLAN Anyone who read Katherine Dunn’s National Book Award finalist novel “Geek Love” can tell you that they never thought they would see it outside of their imagination. Thanks to a dedicated director and crew, the Horizon Theatre in Little Five Points will stage the world premiere of the show through Jan. 25 and allow audiences to see the dark comedy come alive before their very eyes. The story focuses on the Binewski Family, a traveling circus of human oddities, which features conjoined twins, a flipper boy, and many more sideshow sights. Olympia, an albino hunchback, is the narrator of the story. She tells of how her siblings became who they are, thanks to help from parents Crystal Lil and Al. As the family travels town to town over the years, each sibling’s story gets larger and larger, sometimes threatening to destroy the family. Arturo, the flipper boy, sees his popularity soar and hundreds of people begin to worship and emulate him, while Iphigenia and Elektra, the conjoined twin sisters, start to strike off on their own at nights, but are never far from each other. Perhaps the biggest story of them all is the youngest Binewski, Fortunato, who may be the most distinctive member of the family. Aileen Loy, Artistic Director of Sensurround, directed the show and adapted the novel for the stage with Mike Katinsky. The show and the strange world that the Binewski’s inhabit is brought to life by puppets and prosthetics designer Chris Brown, costume designer Evita Smith, set designer Charles “Oz” Dillman and lighting designer Milton Sams. Many of these artists were also responsible for staging Sensurround’s productions of “A Clockwork Orange” and “The Clive Barker Project,” proving they can create dark and alien worlds. In addition to the show, audiences will get to peruse a display of sideshow memorabilia curated by local circus aficionado and Star Bar owner Jim Stacey, from his personal collection. Performances of “Geek Love” will take place at 8 p.m., Wednesdays-Saturdays and 5 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $12 on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and $15 on Saturdays. Phone 404-584-7450 or visit www.horizontheatre.com or www.sensurroundstagings.com for more information.
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