“Fuerza Bruta: Look Up” was hands down the most exciting, sensual, life affirming theater piece I have seen in years!
From the moment you enter the theater, Fuerza Bruta, which means “Look Up”, takes the "fourth wall" and literally breaks it over the audience's head - explosive! When I got home I found confetti in my undergarments. It was awesome!
I knew this was going to be a different kind of show when I walked into the normally staid Auditorium Theatre lobby and found a full fledged bar and disco party going on. I love the feeling of disorientation that occurred as we were ushered into the theater and away from the seats right onto the stage. I had no idea we were about to stand for the entire hour and fifteen minute show. As we got onto the stage, which also had club music pumping, the crowd looked expectantly around at each other, some dancing, and most wondering where the set actually was. Suddenly out of the darkness, a spot lit, beautiful man in a white business suit appears walking purposely on a treadmill. Soon he is running at full speed and, with the help of a harness, is eventually jumping through solid brick walls, which explode into bits onto the audience and without any words really gives the feeling of the obstacles we face in modern life.
The dances grow more and more intense including two dancers flying/fighting/dancing up a twenty foot, undulating wall of color and silver fabric. During intervals a DJ sprays the crowd with a fine mist of water while music pumps and a fog horn blows, almost as a cue for the crowd to start jumping up and down, turning the entire stage into a bouncing rave.
Without giving away all the spectacles, one of the most remarkable is a transparent latex sheet like a gigantic kiddy pool that holds five female dancers, clad only in childlike cotton shorts and tops slipping and sliding like playful dolphins over the audiences heads. The occasional breast innocently and sensually pops out as the latex swimming pool is lowered right down onto the audience’s heads.
I can’t say enough about how refreshing it is to have the fourth wall of the theater broken down so completely, actively involving the audience directly in every action that occurs onstage. It really gives the feeling of great sex with plenty of passionate “throw down” as the crowd is moved, seemingly effortlessly, in the dark through one set change after another. As you are moved from one spot to another and another, a dynamic stage full of dancers rises out of the darkness giving you that wonderful feeling of awe and wonder about what will happen next in the play and how in the world did I get in this position?
I loved the attitude of the dancers, they seemed to have a gusto for life and a saucy, get up off your asses energy that radiated through the audience, making us dance and respond where we would all normally be sitting quietly in our theater seats hoping not to be singled out into participating.
One of the most beautiful and surprisingly “wet” moments of the show comes at the end where a rain shower opens up right in the center of the audience, pouring down large warm round drops of water onto whoever is willing to jump in and dance. After a brief hesitation that my blouse might be turned into a transparent wet t-shirt like the dancers in the pool, I just jumped in and danced and was happily drenched by the heated rain shower in just a few seconds. I really felt transported to a party somewhere on a beach in Rio, everyone’s arms upraised, jumping and dancing with friends and strangers, free and unfettered by the any of the usual protocol of theater decorum or life in the city.
I can’t recommend seeing this show highly enough. My suggestion to really get the full experience is to go with some good friends, have a drink or whatever loosens you up before this show and wear comfortable shoes. If you see Fuerza Bruta prepare to have your mind blown by some incredible dancing and acrobatics and be willing to get really WET!
“Fuerza Bruta: Look Up” is playing at the Auditorium Theatre through July 25th. For more information on this amazing show, visit www.auditoriumtheatre.org.
