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Miriam Reviews Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind by
the New York Neo-Futurists

Performers: Marta, Ryan, Omar, Rob, Jenny. Plays: 16 2 23 28 18 10 6 22 21 5 4 13 19 9 7 25 27 1 17 30 15 26 29 8 11 3 24 20 14 12. That was my experience seeing Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind at the Kraine Theatre on Saturday night, but as the Neo-Futurists themselves say: "If you've seen this show once, you've only seen it once." In other words, there's no stepping in the same river (or performance) twice. As if putting on 30 plays in 60 minutes were not difficult enough, the Neo-Futurists add to the challenge by writing and incorporating new plays every week, and by allowing the audience to decide the order in which the plays are performed every night. Thus, each performance is unique -- and risky. How do you, as an audience member, get to vote on which play comes next? Well, you are given a list of numbers and corresponding play titles, and at the "curtain" of a play, you scream for the one you want next... as loudly as possible.

Yes: In this high-level audience participation show, you are encouraged to voice your opinions. A few audience members even enjoy some stage time. One person found herself doing the "secret dance," and another stepped up for a soapbox session. An active audience, however, is just one of the show's strengths. In truth, audience members take their cues from the actors, picking up on the performer's passion and energy. From the very start, Too Much Light... is exciting.

On my Saturday night, theatregoers entered the Kraine to loud, upbeat music and met Omar (playing Omar, since the Neo-Futurists play themselves throughout the show). He was perched on a chair, a roll of nametags and a marker in hand. He politely asked names, apologized for not being able to hear because of the massive headphones on his ears, and wrote down what he could make out. I was "orange," and the person I was with was "juice." We were sitting next to "ice" and "cream." In keeping with the ever-changing show, not only will your name change every week, but so will the cast member writing it.

Stepping down to take our seats, we met Marta, who suggested seats that were "close-like." Ryan and Jenny were busy setting up, hanging play number signs on the clothesline strung across the stage. Each number was represented in a different way: "13" was the flag of the original U.S. colonies, "25" was five squared; "6" (which Rob eventually wound up crumpling into a ball and pitching at me when it was called) was shown as the six dots on the side of a die.

Before the show started, we practiced shouting play requests for a while. Then, the man behind me shouted, "16!" louder than anyone else, a Neo-Futurist reached up, grabbed "16" off of the clothesline, rolled it up and threw it into the audience -- and we were off. Each play was so different from the one before, it was impossible to know what to expect. My personal favorite was "Freud Smackdown," in which Marta, Jenny and Rob explored what Ryan was really thinking about certain things -- including his female coworkers. The Neo-Futurists, of course, "do not ask you to suspend your disbelief." Omar reminded an audience member of this when he performed a two-minute play in which he asked her out. Oh yes, for real, after the show, when she ditched her boyfriend.

While many elements of the show are comedic, Too Much Light... is by no means a comedy or improv show. The plays deal with a myriad of subjects, including gay marriage, immigration and the more ridiculous quest for the funniest spot on the stage and a spoof on short-term goldfish memory. The show's structured spontaneity makes it both thought-provoking and entertaining. The Neo-Futurists zip around the stage like wildly talented balls of energy, performing the plays that they have created. When the final play is finished, and the timer is consulted, there is clapping for yet another successful performance completed in an hour. In the case of Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, however, the conclusion is not only, "Thanks for coming!" but also, "Wait until you see what we've got for you next week..."

After seeing Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, Miriam caught up with Neo-Futurist actor and managing director Rob Neill to talk about the show. Check out the Q & A here...