The Forgery–Exquisite Corpse No. 8 and Dudes in Suits
Doorika has been one of Chicago’s most talked about experimental groups of the 90s, ever since arriving here from New Orleans at the beginning of the decade: its vivid multimedia explorations of enigmatic, absurd visual and verbal imagery–including Throes; Saajury; Dear; and Bathe Me, Gertrude Stein’s Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights–were invariably intriguing and engaging even when incomprehensible. Last fall the performance collective officially relocated to New York, after several years of bouncing between the Windy City and the Big Apple, but the troupe hasn’t lost its local connection. It returns this weekend with a work in progress–The Forgery–Exquisite Corpse No. 8, directed by Erika Yeomans–it’s been developing through a series of site-specific scenes in New York since last April. Drawing on the culture of post-World War II America, with its split between affluent suburbanization and the urban darkness of film noir, The Forgery appropriates text and action from some 40 books and films written between 1948 and 1952. Playing on a double bill with Dudes in Suits–Massachusetts performer Court Dorsey’s solo piece about distortions of power in bureaucracies–The Forgery is the opening attraction of “Sovereigns,” a performance series that features local artists (including festival organizer Jenny Magnus, Beau O’Reilly, Dolores Wilber, and Jack the Dog) and visitors (including Cleveland’s Theatre Labyrinth, performing Frankenstein’s Wake). Running through April 25, “Sovereigns” examines themes of power and authority in sexual and political contexts–as if we didn’t have enough of that on the evening news these days. Link’s Hall, 3435 N. Sheffield, 773-281-0824. March 20 and 21: Friday-Saturday, 8 PM. $10.
–Albert Williams
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): The Forgery photo by Matthias Geiger.