The Wooster Group's North Atlantic, reprised
http://www.thirteen.org/sundayarts/blog/blog/theater/gravity-and-the-wooster-group-at-work/
The Wooster Group‘s North Atlantic is a dense, corrugated, verbal and sensory assault. Cliché riddled, it begs for clichés to describe it—rapid-fire, pedal to the metal, take no prisoners. James Strahs wrote the play in 1982, and this production, directed by Elizabeth LeCompte, has been presented many times since its premiere two years later. The relentless way the soldiers of this military unit work and play directly contrasts its purpose, as a decoy message intercept center with no purpose at all. These soldiers, led by Ari Fliakos, Paul Lazar, and Scott Shepard, bluster on about chain of command, leadership, sexual prowess. Segments dense with text mix with folksy American tunes, both sung and danced. As absurd and intellectually and aurally powerful as the text is, its impact is exceeded by the sheer physical properties of the show (designed by Jim Clayburgh and lit by Jennifer Tipton), which inaugurates Wooster Group’s new partnership with BAC and runs through April 25.