Theatre Against the ClockToo Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind kicks off UCSB Theatre/Dance Department Season With Honesty and Wit
WORDS Ninette Paloma
In late 1980s Chicago and a few doors down from Wrigley Field, a rowdy group of actors called The Neo-Futurists began formulating a play that would one day come to define the essence of storefront theatre. Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind would symbolize democratic drama at its finest: provocative, interactive, and timely (literally), with a casual appeal that belied an ambitious directive. The premise? Perform a marathon of 30 plays in 60 minutes with storylines that pulled directly from the ensemble’s personal experiences in an order dictated (and sometimes acted) by the audience itself.
As a young theatre student living in Chicago, I spent many Saturday nights lining up for a Too Much Light performance, yelling my name out to an indifferent, headphones-wearing attendant who would scribble “Pea Soup” or “Fly Girl” on my name tag before motioning me into the shoebox theatre. Back then, entry fees were determined by the roll of a single die, and if the theatre hit capacity, the cast would celebrate with pizza for all to share onstage after the final curtain was called. Because the play’s order was steered by the audience (more on that later) and because the number of new plays for next week was decided by one final role of the die, no two shows were ever alike. Over three decades after its launch, Too Much Light has descended on Santa Barbara’s shores by way of the UCSB Theatre/Dance Department, and its relevance to the times is almost eerie. Director Michael Bernard leads a cast of eight through the physical and mental gruel of racing against the clock to perform a series of one-acts that range in themes from the political to the hilarious to the utterly absurd. A few things have changed since the play’s Chicago days: the price of admission is now a flat fee; 30 plays in 60 minutes have stretched to 35 in 70; and the attendant’s Walkman has been traded in for a snazzy Bluetooth headset. But the spirit remains intact thanks to a brilliant cast that sliced through the sometimes-messy subject matters with sharp presence and endearing self-deprecation. Together, Frances Domingos, Andalyn Honselaar, William Huffaker, Taylor Kirk, Cyrus Roberts, Michael Seitz, Hailey Turner, and Angel Villalobo sputtered and shone like a newly serviced jalopy – capturing the clumsy honesty that has made this beloved production the longest-running show in Chicago’s history. For the uninitiated, Too Much Light basically works like this: the audience is handed a menu of plays with corresponding numbers pinned festively over the stage on a clothesline. Instructions are given on when to shout out the number of the play one would like to see next, and once the clock starts rolling, the actors have 70 minutes to perform all 35 works before the clock hits 0. Prepare for expert composition thanks to pieces like “Davinci Decision” and “Three Guys and a Doll” and don’t bother trying to hide the gradual uneasiness that creeps up during “These Things Are True.” Surrender instead, to the rollercoaster of emotions that will spill across the university’s intimate stage at breakneck speed and with palpable determination. And once the final curtain is called, be sure to thank Bernard on your way out for injecting the department’s new season with a much-needed dose of wholly satisfying physical theatre. |
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