By David Walters
beep boop: the sound old dial-up computers made; also, often used to describe a geek/nerd.
Richard Saudek is an exquisite clown. Having learned his craft from the masters, he has created a character that we can “almost” identify with that shows us a reflection of our digital world and how it encompasses every moment of our lives. It’s a journey into ourselves and away from ourselves at the same time.
His zombie-esque character is birthed into the world at the beginning of the show through a large block and with a bow to Kubrick’s 2001, we experience the dawn of this man. His attentions are almost immediately taken over by the digital world, causing mayhem in his travels and finally reaching the privacy of his home.
There are wonderful creative segments in this multi-media production where he moves about his home, disappears into his computer, dances with his upside down self, discovers his on-line persona, and has his hand become another frightening character in the show.
What I loved about the experience of spending time with Saudek’s creations, was that it touched on many levels of the human experience. Singing a duet of “I’ve Got You Babe,” with himself, it gets dark and malevolent when his video-self digresses into creepy-land. Luckily Richard showed us the off button just in time.
This mime is not alone: Partnering with his indomitable foley artist (Nora Kaye), who is as much an integral part of the show as anything else, even the goldfish, this wonderful performance could not have been so beautifully carried out without the creative people supporting the production and contributing their enormous audio and visual talents:
Directed by Wes Grantom, composer Jesse Novak, costume design by Maddie Peterson, lighting and projection design by Driscoll Otto, and sound design and foley Brendan Aanes.
Crowded Outlet and HERE present: beep boop
September 6-30; Tue-Sat @ 7pm; Sat-Sun @ 2pm; Running time: 75 minutes; Suitable for kids and adults. Tickets can be purchased here
