Particularly In The Heartland

*

The TEAM

What a horrible, chalkboard-scratching, aluminum-chewing mess! As you enter the theater, the cast is yelling- no, screeching out "American!" songs ("Glory, Glory Hallelujah", "...Tis Of Thee", etc). As they chat with the audience members, they encourage everyone to SING ALONG!!!!!!!!! Come on! SING!! When the lights go down, the yelling (in this claustrophobic brick-walled echo chamber at PS122) doesn't stop. It just gets louder and more annoying. Premise: three Kansas siblings loose Mommy and Daddy to the rapture and they are left to fend for themselves and also ponder the benefits and disadvantages of living in modern America. Or something like that. I don't know. It was all so confusing, disorienting and bombastic. I felt trapped in this intermissionless theatrical purgatory. It reminded me of when I worked in day care and the 4 year olds just WOULDN'T SHUT UP! The crowd went crazy at the end of it and a few even gave it a standing ovation. Show's what I know.