Ohio Theatre: "Chekhov Lizardbrain".
In Chekhov Lizardbrain, Pig Iron Theatre Company takes inspiration from the writing of playwright Anton Chekhov and autistic writer Temple Grandin to explore the mind of the seemingly schizophrenic and autistic Dmitri/Chekhov Lizardbrain. The result is at once puzzling and provocative. While Chekhov Lizardbrain often moves into apparently irrational juxtapositions, the surrealist elements of the play never become too abstract: Pig Iron elegantly walks the line between abstraction and representation, balancing conceptual experimentation with more traditional theatrical form. Their success also stems from the strong physical element of their theatre, which always keeps their acting grounded in the body. Through the puzzling window into Dmitri’s mind, Pig Iron creates a world that is at times scary, moving, funny, and entertaining. As we watch Dmitri’s memories and language break down, we are drawn into the comic and tragic aspects of this mind’s workings, sometimes recognizing glimpses of our selves in it and at other times feeling like he indeed belongs to a different species.
Leave a Reply