BWW Reviews: TONTLAWALD Takes Viewers to a Modern Wonderland

With ethereal music, strong acting and impressive use of the body in a visually stunning space, Cutting Ball Theater's "Tontlawald" offers an out-of-this-world experience - and that's not a description based on the quality of the show. No, "Tontlawald" literally transports audiences to an unfamiliar and strange world. It's a modern, edgy "play" based on Poland's famed Teatr ZAR, which combines the body and song to tell a story, and an Estonian children's tale. 

The brand new creation, several years in the works, aims to give audiences an American version of the odd, but intriguing theatrics of Teatr ZAR. And that much it does successfully. Pulling from various musical genres - jazz, ethnic, classical - and adding very little text in between songs, "Tontlawald" opens with a chilling moment in the darkness as the actors gather on stage and sings what feels like an extension of those first moments in "The Lion King." The lights slowly go up, and the audience gets its first glimpse of the actors they will be spending the next hour with.  

The cast of "Tontlawald" boasts perfect harmonies as they make both wild and calm sounds in both English and other languages. They even sing into a fan during a few songs to give their sound an extra strange sound. Their music and actions tell the Estonian tale of a young girl named Lona (Marilet Martinez), abused by her parents and longing for peace. She finds herself in the ghost forest of Tontlawald, where she meets a host of friendly people and creatures. There, a beautiful queen (Cindy Im) orders a copy of the girl be made to send back to live with her family. The copy does return home and eventually poisons the parents, who die in a fascinating writhing "dance." Years later, her copy turns into a bird and flies home, while Lona is sent out into the world as a young woman. 

This description may spoil the plot for you, but "Tontlawald" isn't really about the story, at all. It doesn't give you much to take away, except for the marked memory of a phenomenonal, modern experience. There's really no way to describe what "Totlawald" is. Actors move wildly about the stage. They knock walls, floors and lights to create rhythms. They explore shoes, lights and various set pieces like children encountering something new and curious. They carry around a microphone, using it for various odd purposes - none more so than when one actress puts the microphone in a boot and plays with the shoe as the microphone picks up noises.  

Actors play various characters, and they literally sing, "Section One, Section Two" and so on - marking those pauses between scenes with mesmorizing sound. And all the while they perform in front of a weblike fabric that surrounds the stage, drawing viewers in, but never making complete sense. The red costumes the actors wear stand out against the white and black background, especially in the dramatic lighting. And there's much more to this show that's just plain difficult and puzzling to explain.  

The truth of it is, "Tontlawald" challenges audiences. It's intriguing and confusing at the same time. Even with reading the plot description in the program, things still don't fall completely into place. Be prepared. That's all that can be said. At such a short length, and with unconventional story telling techniques, "Tontlawald" isn't for everyone. But no one can critique the show for its singing and acting quality. On that count, "Tontlawald" is one hundred percent perfect. 

Some will walk away from "Tontlawald" confused and unsatisfied. But keep an open eye and ready yourself for a different experience, and you'll see "Tontlawald" as a pure work of art.

 

TONTLAWALD

THE CUTTING BALL THEATER

Now Through March 11

AT EXIT ON TAYLOR THEATER

http://cuttingball.com

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