Irony is not Enough: Essay on My Life as Catherine Deneuve

Without context, this play is senseless.

So let me give some. Performance collective Fragment31 wanted to translate Anne Carson's essay —that lent its title to this performance piece —into something you can see, smell and hear on stage.

To quote the program: "The fragmentary process of film strongly parallels the structural fragmentation of the writing. It does not follow a single narrative; it interweaves narrative with internal reflection and classical referential thought, returning to narrative but in a fragmented form."

Parts of the performance are moments drawn from Deneuve's films. The rest of the time the actors and crew-performers are responding to each other, which explains why they often seem to be looking around trying to figure out what happens next, but it does eliminate forgotten lines.

Perhaps the most innovative part of the production is their open-plan approach. Backstage equals foreground. Lighting directs your focus. Stage hands, rather than feigning invisibility, become part of the performance.

If you like plays with a storyline, you may find the words of one of the performers describe what you think of Irony is not Enough: "This is mental."

Daniel G Taylor (@danielgtaylor)

Image: Leisa Shelton (Photographer: Ponch Hawkes)