AP News, October 24th, 2007
"Fuerzabruta" means "brute force" in Spanish and there certainly is enough crashing through walls — among other powerful impacts — in the 60 minutes of arty entertainment on view at off-Broadway's Daryl Roth Theatre to give the title credibility.
"Fuerzabruta" could also be called "Son of De La Guarda," the name of a highly successful performance piece that ran for six years at the same theater and boasts the same Buenos Aires-born creator, Diqui James. Both shows are highly visual, basically nonverbal productions that require the audience to stand — there are no seats — or move about while the performance goes on around and above them.
What it all means is never exactly clear, particularly in "Fuerzabruta." Imagine being hit on the head with what looks like a giant pizza box and see it burst into smithereens. It's an eye-popping effect but after you see it two or three times, it loses its impact.
As the show opens, a giant treadmill is pushed into the arena and a mysterious man in a white suit begins walking, eventually working his way up to a full jog before he is shot — several times. Yet he keeps going. Persistence seems to be one of the evening's themes. Or maybe the guy is just alienated.
In another section of the show, a giant sail swirls, faster and faster, around the playing area with a performer clinging to either side of the sail. Talk about being strapped to the mast.
The show's most inventive sequence involves a giant, see-through Mylar pool, suspended from the ceiling above the theatergoers. As water flows into the pool, swimmers appear, giving the audience an underwater view of their graceful, blissfully tranquil movements. Think of it as Esther Williams from an entirely different angle — and up close.
And things get even more intimate as the pool descends close enough to the audience so they can touch it. Those with a serious aversion to watery experiences should keep their eyes closed. Others may find it the high point of this communal theatrical experience.
All these goings-on are accompanied by a loud pop-electronic score composed by Gaby Kerpel, another "De La Guarda" veteran. This is one show where no announcement is made about turning off cell phones or pagers during the performance. They would never be heard above the din, although in such an environmental production as "Fuerzabruta," they might be considered part of the action.
