A noir thriller, based on actual events that transpired in Dublin, Ireland in the 1950’s was performed last week (3/19 – 3/29) in Central Park. But it wasn’t staged at the Delacorte, and it certainly wasn’t enacted by marionettes in the Swedish Cottage. It was performed in the Men’s and Ladies’ toilets at Bethesda Terrace – and the not so subtle allegory of using the public bathrooms in a play depicting the moral hypocrisy of public officials could not have come at a more topical moment in New York history.
And while the surroundings might have been somewhat off putting, Irish director and playwright Paul Walker found the damp, chill and somewhat noisome interiors to be a critical component in the the theatergoing experience.
In “Ladies & Gents,” his prize winning play, the action takes place near the sinks and urinals; the audience stands, clustered in front of the row of stalls. Each of the two pieces that comprise the play runs simultaneously in both bathrooms, and it doesn’t matter the order in which they are seen; the audience splits in half and switches facilities at intermission.
Walker and Karl Shiels, the artistic director of the experimental Dublin theater troop Semper Fi, decided an actual bathroom was the best place to stage the play. The space is intimate, dark and uncomfortable. In fact theater-goers are further disoriented by being split up, any obvious couple or groups be sent to different facilities to view the play in the opposite order. “When you take the audience out of their comfort zone, there’s a different energy to the production,” he said.
The production is spellbinding, with the actors (especially Laoisa Sexton as the prostitute) giving compelling performances in a challenging venue. At 20 minutes per scene the acts are just long enough to engage, but not long enough to make the audience uncomfortable. It was easily one of the most interesting and entertaining evenings I’ve ever spent in the park.
It also gave headline writers in the New York tabloids just too much of a good thing. How they must wrestled with the themselve to use the absolute worst possible puns;
New York Post – Urinal for an Experience
New York Daily News – Heady intrigue? Skip to the loo with ‘Ladies and Gents’
The Times (not to be out done) – Stalls for Scandal, Men’s and Women’s, No Waiting
Makes you wonder just how bad the ones were that didn’t make it.
About Central Park
Find all the information you need to enjoy your visit to New York City’s iconic Central Park.
Attractions
Central Park features 843 acres filled with classic architecture, gorgeous statuary and up to date sports, educational and performance facilities. Besides all of this there is the world famous Central Park Zoo and Wildlife Center and the Children’s Zoo.
Things To Do
From The Philharmonic on the Great Lawn to Shakespeare in the Park to SummerStage, Central Park offers an endless array of things to do, see, hear – and, with two full service restaurants and several cafes, taste. You can visit The Shakespeare Garden, take in a performance at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater, take a ride on the Carousel – or just sit and people watch at Bethesda Terrace!
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