The overwhelming video display suggests that for what Champagne has in mind, TRACES/fades might be better suited for an art gallery than for the theater. The play is stuffed with enough imagery, mixed media, and vague thematic allusions to make a fascinating gallery exhibit. What it lacks is cogent drama, which is a death knell for even an hour-long theatrical work. No matter how crucial the topic matter may be, TRACES/fades is an insufferable work of theater that is more likely to have you block it out of your memory than to make you think about memory itself.
TRACES/fades ran from 7/16-7/19 as part of the Soho Think Tank's Ice Factory Festival '08, which runs through 8/23. Written and directed by Lenora Champagne. Music by Daniel Levi. Video by Lauren Petty and Shaun Irons. Production design by Liz Prince.
Tickets for remaining Ice Factory Festival shows can be purchased here.
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