Observations of an Orchestrated Catastrophe

This is the invitation -- a kind of dare, really -- that Jenny Magnus proffers...In these plays, Magnus asks us to meet her intelligence, her wit, the naked soul of her unknowables with our own because, in her work, the question is the quest. Like Brecht, she uses music, text, broad characters, very few props. Her people are curious and smart and very funny. They are always out on a limb, divulging something terribly embarrassing. They use a lot of words, or very few. Metaphors are often over-the-top, but particulars can be few. The fourth wall, when it's there, is just a flimsy film -- which means the performers who take on these stories must be experienced high-flyers, actors who know the consequences of working without a net. In Magnus' stories, characters have unexplained encounters that are so lively and absurd that it takes a moment to realize they are in pain. There's just no rest for the lazy in these scripts. Here is the work of an artist as courageous as you'll ever experience. Here is the work of an artist, timeless and true. Relish it.--Achy Obejas