Quick Hit Theater Review: Gob Squad's Kitchen

The Gob Squad. Photo David Baltzer

Gob Squad's Kitchen (You've Never Had it So Good)
The Public Theater
through Feb. 5, 2012

Summary:
Devised and performed by the German/British Collective Gob Squad, this trip back to 1965 and to the underground cinemas of Andy Warhol, brings back to life the creation of his movies Kitchen, Sleep and The Kiss. Before the show, audience members are given a "tour" of the studio on stage behind a large screen on which live videos are shown as scenes from the movies are loosely created by cast members Johanna Freiburg, Sean Patten, Sharon Smith, Berit Stumpf, Sarah Thom, Bastian Trost and Simon Will along with members of the audience who are tapped to come up and take cast members places in the filming. Special guests listed include Erik Pold, Nina Tecklenburg and Laura Tonke.

To quote the publicity materials:
A Film Made Live On Stage With Bad Coffee, Nervous Breakdowns, Wild Parties and Modern Hairstyles.

Highlights:
Technically interesting with video by Miles Chalcraft, sound design by Jeff McGrory and stage design by Chasper Bertschinger.

Lowlights:
An audience participation hater's nightmare.
If you are into the drug and sex culture of the 1960s, made famous by Warhol and his cohorts, you will enjoy this. If you don't like seeing images like these, you won't like it:

• a woman choking off her air supply by placing a plastic bag over her head and a strap around her neck
• people trying to get high by snorting coffee grinds
• people getting sexually aroused by smearing peanut butter and corn flakes on each other
• a woman filmed sleeping until asked to make out with one of the female actresses

When a woman being oppressed by cornflakes said, "I want this to stop," I finally related to something. To quote a critic friend of mine: "There is an hour and 50 minutes of my life I'll never get back."

Other information:
 The show, which was highlighted at the Public's Under the Radar Series, returned for this short engagement which ends Sunday. Single tickets, priced at $60-$70 can be purchased by calling 212-967-7555, by visiting www.publictheater.org, or in person at The Public Theater box office, 425 Lafayette St., NYC.

Christians might also like to know:
--Sexually graphic activity
--Sexual dialogue throughout
--God's name taken in vain
--Homosexual dialogue
--Homosexual activity
--Language