The legendary Theatre du Grand Guignol was all the rage in Paris in 1897, and lasted until 1962. The performances featured plays and spectacles that were meant to titillate the senses, leaving the audience to roar with laughter or recoil in terror. A doctor was kept on hand to treat the many spectators who fainted nightly.
A new company, billed as the Andre de Lorde Grand Guignolers of Paris, is performing a Grand Guignol show at The Art/Works Theatre in Hollywood. We are treated to three separate acts, but the real experience is carried through the whole evening. We are met at the door by silent white-faced clowns (the scary kind) who offer us the once-banned drink absinthe to sample. (You can buy a beer as an alternative). The show begins with a demonstration of how to mix and make the tantalizing drink.
First up is the violent farce These Cornfields, in which a very high-strung couple battles it out though a visitor. We learn that this baiting, beating, and bewildering of the guest is a recurring event. Pity the poor visitor as he is put through their torturous routine.
Next up is a delightful horror story told with finger puppets. These puppets are just as violent as the Cornfields and even more bloody. Puppetry is just part of this adventurous evening, which also features mime and movement.
The last act is the most gruesome and bloody. It’s about a jealous doctor who exacts revenge upon his wife’s lover by drilling into his brain. Oh yes, there's lots of squirting blood.
Actor/director Debbie McMahon presents the evening of terror, and she obviously takes the whole thing very seriously. She is by far the best performer, but the whole company helps to make a success of it. My only regret is that the acting isn’t more polished. If spurting brains and caustic puppets are your thing, this is for you.
Part of The Los Angeles Physical Theatre Arts Festival.
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