TOILET FIRE to Run 10/29-11/14 at Abrons Arts Center
Toilet Fire: Rectums in the Rectory is Eliza Bent's ceremony and celebration of the one thing that unites us all: our need to go. Using the structure of an ancient religious ritual to talk about matters of digestion, philosophy, and faith, Toilet Fire written and performed by Bent, with direction by Kevin Laibson and music accompaniment by Alaina Ferris, explodes with song, story, audience participation, and unexpected textual twists.
Welcome to the Blerch of Our Blight where digestive ailments trouble congregants and audience members alike. Good thing it's Keester-a holiday when indulgences don't backfire and gluten and lactose can be enjoyed with liberal abandon. A larger than life Peest oversees the ongoing ceremony and a cast of colorful characters-including a Russian émigré, a Bostonian flight attendant, and a sullen Australian teen played by Bent-help perform the ancient religious service. Conflushions, songs, prayer, and collections create a toilet landscape of redemption.
By the end of this tour-de-toots, the trappings of a religious service fall away and Toilet Fire reverts to a more traditional solo show structure with the real Eliza Bent ultimately asking: How can we best relieve suffering? Poo puns and word play mix together a show that is as madcap in its irreverence as it is incisive in its thought and feeling.
Toilet Fire features Eliza Bent (Half Straddle) and Alaina Ferris; directed by Kevin Laibson; dramatur(d)gy by Jess Barbagallo; set + lights by Christopher Bowser; costumes by Enver Chakartash (the Wooster Group, Half Straddle); projections by Anthony Jackson; stage management + assistant direction by Nic Adams; produced by Caroline Gart; associate produced by Charlie O'Leary.
Performance Schedule:
Thurs Oct 29 at 8pm
Fri Oct 30 at 8pm
Sat Oct 31 at 8pm
Thurs Nov 5 at 8pm
Fri Nov 6 at 8pm
Sat Nov 7 at 8pm
Wed Nov 11 at 8pm
Thurs Nov 12 at 8pm
Fri Nov 13 at 8pm
Sat Nov 14 at 8pm
Location:
Toilet Fire is performed at Abrons Arts Center, which is located at 466 Grand Street (at Pitt Street) in the Lower East Side. F/J/M/Z trains to Delancey/Essex stop.
More info at:
http://www.abronsartscenter.org/performances/eliza-bent-toilet-fire.html
Tickets: $15
