[34] WHERE (WE) LIVE (So Percussion): Fringe review

Like vague early childhood memories of “home”, the eight players of WHERE (WE) LIVE assemble without an introduction, scattering to spaces cluttered with objects, lights, and instruments. Beer brewers begin a silent process. A soothing voice, soft lighting, and ambient sounds conjure hazy recollections of childhood homes, first dates, pets, and swing sets. Memories blur together at a rapid pace. A delicious mash-up of sounds seems to come from every direction. A girl writes nervously at a desk. Projections of radiators and blinds and stove tops are seen on three small screens. Lights on, brighter lights, lights off.  So Percussion members scramble and trade places. Harsh words are piped out over devilish music, about times from home no one wants to remember. Confusion, a perfectly choreographed light show, then more music: WHERE (WE) LIVE is a trance-like experience.

Speaking of home—the same and different for everyone—the narrator explains, “It’s simple, and it can’t be taken back.” There is nothing simple about WHERE (WE) LIVE or the feelings it evokes. It breeds a new way to look at old memories and—more importantly—an unforgettable way to look at percussion as performance. Oh, and that beer that was being fresh brewed throughout the show?  It was available for tasting at the end. [Painted Bride Art Center] September 12-14, 2013, fringearts.ticketleap.com/where-we-live.