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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2010 > October > 19 > Entry
Review: ‘The Biography of Physical Sensation’
If your mother ever told you not to leave the house without putting on a clean pair of underwear, she was right - especially if you’re heading to “Biography of Physical Sensation,” Rubber Repertory’s most recent venture into the world of interactive theater.
“Biography,” running now through Oct. 30 at Salvage Vanguard Theater, explores the life of a woman without telling her story. At least, not using words. Instead, Jamie Damon’s life is boiled down to a series of physical sensations, which are, in turn, performed on the audience. That’s right, the audience is the performance, and like all Rubber Rep shows, this is no holds barred theater.
But don’t worry, showing your skivvies is entirely a matter of choice. Though you may not know you’re making it at the time.
Each of the 40 audience members is given a choice before entering the theater — the three available chair sizes designate the degree of sensation experienced, and life doesn’t always happen fully clothed. Only a few brave souls end up in a state of undress, however. And frankly, with five “technicians” facilitating different sensations all at once, there’s so much going on that undergarments are not the highlight.
More like a visual poem than a play, “Biography of Physical Sensation” is certainly not like anything you’ve seen before or anything you’ll see again — since it will be different every night. The show turns its audience into co-creators, and there’s no telling how people will react.
From childhood triumphs, to adolescent growing pains, to adult ecstasies, this show runs the gamut. Every seat gets a different set of experiences all to themselves, though a few rely on group participation. You’ll make friends with your neighbors by choice or by force, but chances are you’ll have a great time.
Venturing into the unknown is what makes the show so enjoyable — which is why I’m being deliberately vague. It asks you to take life on life’s terms: often enjoyable, occasionally painful and rarely fully explained.
If your curiosity is insatiable, however, perhaps a glimpse of the prop list will suffice. The show includes, in no particular order: popcorn and peanut butter, blindfolds and bubble bath, bowling balls and bodily fluids, horseshoes (but no hand-grenades), and, of course, a certain amount of sexual paraphernalia. (The show is for adults only.)
Starting with a series of smells and a lot of suspense, “Biography” makes you appreciate the small things: the tastes, the sounds, the feelings. You’ll leave with a lot of questions and not many answers, but isn’t that a lot like life?
‘The Biography of Physical Sensation’ continues 8 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, through Oct. 30. $15-$25. www.salvagevanguard.com
Cate Blouke is an American-Statesman freelance arts critic.
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