One of the most sensual, non-sexual performance pieces in
memory, barrier-breaking in Taiwan….8 men, 1 woman, wrapped only in white
towels and clear plastic. Confronting the 11-degree bitter night air for one
hour, on the windy mountain overlooking Taipei. Confronting Asian cultural
prohibitions against nakedness. Confronting the stares of 100 young happily
horny and/or love-hungry men and women fantasizing about their (beautiful)
bodies.
Each character has golden blond hair, except the barbarian
black-haired screaming Westerner (?), revealing different needs and
personalities, and different ways they satisfy male lust….usually by abandoning
intimate communication with the effective (but vulnerable) seductress, and
resorting to less risky self-centered self-pleasure.
All is silent, except soft moans, shrieks, orgasmic
laughter, and the incessant erotic music beat. Some viewers might try to
protect themselves from their own feelings by intellectualizing the
performance, but the flesh refused to be turned into an academic exercise.
All the actors (Theater and Film students at TNUA in Guandu)
gave passionate vulnerable performances of longing and lust, without sex or
love.
Behind the scenes, Lionel Liu created terrific visuals with
no-budget. He was the only one still warm at the end, because he wore (stylish)
clothes. Actor Chiu Pi also worked closely with Director Lin Chn-Hua.
Actors, however, always suffer…for Art. They had to lie
motionless on the cold grass, then stand with bare feet. One had to stay in a
freezing bathtub (filled with water), the others were doused with icy sexual
liquids and gels. A cold-shower might calm animal instincts in real life, but
the characters had to remain blazingly hot for the sexy woman in the play….Good
acting.
Director, writer, lead actress Lin Chin-Hua’s performance as
Creator, and the only female character, was extraordinary. Even from a
theatrical distance, her expressive face, mouth and eyes juggled powerful deep
emotions - seduction, lust, manipulation, emotional starvation, and the slow steady deterioration of the
human and feminine spirit.
[ 10/1/13, TNUA, Guandu, Taipei, Taiwan
]
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