The Great Invention is complete, exhilarating joy. If that sounds like hyperbole, it’s not. Nor does this show resemble anything you’re likely to see anytime soon. It’s the brainchild of Jess Bryant and Peter Seifarth, longtime collaborators from North Carolina as Panda Head Theatre. They have trained for the last decade in a combination of circus performance, commedia dell’arte and various styles of physical theatre. Trust me, it shows.
The preset at Know’s mainstage space seemed underdone, almost like a pile of random trash on the stage. But soon Bryant and Seifarth appear, dressed in mismatched clothes evoking an urban homeless vibe, gathering objects from the ground and underbrush much as a man would use a metal detector on a beach. Each used traditional whiteface makeup and spoke what might be described as fluent gibberish. Amazingly, they made it consistent and understandable despite being complete nonsense.
Suddenly the set pieces didn’t seem quite so random; everything took shape and form through the convincing acting and physicality of these performers. I was particularly impressed with how a small cardboard box, open on both sides, became a tunnel/entrance to their hideaway, requiring inventive and hysterical manipulations by each as they squeezed themselves through it. Nothing I say would do it justice, and it’s just one of dozens of wonderful examples throughout this 45 minute production.
Eventually, from their gatherings, the final pieces for some sort of device are found (two hair dryers and a pair of ping pong balls, no less) and they turn a shopping cart into something that transports them, well, elsewhere. We’re not sure where exactly (remember, they’re speaking gibberish and moving a lot of trash around), but we know it’s an alien place through the remarkable and inventive physicality of the actors.
There’s a surprisingly complex story along the way, involving their actual journey, their relationship and so on. It’s all the more impressive because we have nothing — literally nothing — beyond the actors’ skill to guide us.
I was struck at the end by the incredible depth of training and commitment by Bryant and Seifarth that allows a performance like this to exist. I doubt that there’s much money in their craft (hey, they’re performing on a blank stage in a Fringe Festival, for god’s sake) or any direct commercial market for what they do. But they deserve their own place in the theater landscape. It’s as skilled a performance as I’ve experienced in a very long time and is a definite highlight of the 2017 Fringe.
The CINCINNATI FRINGE FESTIVAL continues through June 11. Find CityBeat reviews of 41 early performances here. For a full schedule and more info about Fringe, visit cincyfringe.com.
This article appears in May 31 – Jun 7, 2017.