Disposable Men

Fri.-Sat., Oct. 19-20, 8 p.m., $25, Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St., 215-925-9914, www.paintedbride.org.

by David Anthony Fox

	print	email	reply	rss feed

Published: Oct 16, 2007

theater

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

Frankenstein, King Kong, Amadou Diallo — to many of you, it probably sounds like I'm tastelessly free-associating. But Disposable Men, a multimedia performance work written and performed by James Scruggs, finds commonalities. It's Scruggs' contention that in our culture (and especially in our media) all of them are mistrusted, feared and ultimately at physical risk. Film sequences link the monsters of old films with the trigger-happy world of today's media. Scruggs also adds monologues perched somewhere on the high wire between comic and grotesque, including a latter-day minstrel (he performs at children's parties, thus assuring early-age indoctrination) and a theme restaurant where the concept is — brace yourselves — lynchings. Scruggs' work, a tour de force of acting as well as visual presentation, has been acclaimed around the country. Now, for two nights here in Philly, you can hear what all the shouting is about.

Fri.-Sat., Oct. 19-20, 8 p.m., $25, Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St., 215-925-9914, www.paintedbride.org.

Things That Matter To People Who Matter
Even Stephen
Target Practice
The Joy of Six
The Art of Can
Beijing LDTX Modern Dance Company
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Suzanne Roberts Theatre Open House