Living Canvas RX

Written by Living Canvas

Company Members:

Lisa Adams,

Carrie Campana,

Tim Harris,

Miona Lee,

J.R. Rubin,

Lauren Shufelt

Co-directed by Lisa Adams
Co-directed by Jack Dugan Carpenter
Produced by The Living Canvas

At The Den, Chicago

Lights, movement and nudity give sensuality to our fixation with drugs

I have witness the performance art from the troupe at Living Canvas, under the inspiration of artistic director Peter Guither for the third time now performing at The Den. Each time I witness the brave souls whose inhibitions are limitless, I’m struck on how contemporary American society  is hung-up with nudity. These fearless performers flaunt their human forms while tastefully expressing their reaction of a theme, here out obsession with drugs. With the interesting projection designs by Pete Guither, the human form takes on special attributes, especially with the manic, expressive and wildly sensual movement by the ten person cast of seven women and thee men.

Despite the exquisite use of lighting, the bodies are completely visible. During this 60 minute performance, recorder music, some chanting dialogue and even singing are employed to highlight the effects of drugs, legal and illegal.

While the show features only three men, they seem to be the catalyst for much of the movement and dominance depicted by this talented cast. Choice of color emphasize an effect: blue for depression, red for rage. The women either aid or incite the men to play out their mood instilled from RX usage. Filled with swift movement, contortions, lifting and garbing, the ten person cast seamlessly presented the mood, flavor and atmosphere to the techno music and vast assortment of projections. The result is a energetic performance art piece. Once the audience  adjusts to the nudity, we quickly become engrossed in the themes expressed. No sexual action  (including erections, etc) could be seen, rather, Living Canvas RX is amazingly devoid of any suggestion of pornography. being nude is the cast’s way of celebrating the inherent beauty of all sorts of human forms.

Once the show concludes, the audience is invited to disrobe and join the cast in the nude for one  dance to celebrate the human body. A dozen or so did just that including one upper middle aged man! So if  porno is what you’re after, try a peep show but if a polished performance art piece appeals to you then Living Canvas RX will impress you. You may even be moved to get nude on stage. who knows?

Recommended

Tom Williams

Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast

Date Reviewed: August 1, 2014

For more info checkout the Living Canvas RX page at theateinchicago.com

At The Den Theatre, Studio 2B, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL. Tickets $20