Faust, REDCAT, 11pm, 19 October 2012

19 October 2012
Roy and Edna Disney Cal Arts Theater
Downtown Los Angeles
11pm (late show).

REDCAT Procurement Checklist
1 Cement Mixer, 1 Demolition Hammer, 2 Angle Grinders, 3 Large Canvasses, 55 Gallon Drum, 2 four-by-eight Sheets of Styrofoam, 2 Sledge Hammers & One Sacrificial Piano – and one small Gas-Powered Chain Saw

1059pm
Péron and Geraldine lounge casually, center stage, draped about each other in a sea of industrial elements, tools, various musical instruments, styrofoam residual. Are birds chirping?

1105pm
“Fresh Air Tokyo!” Péron has advised the audience of the emergency exit locations and has gotten down to business, screeching into the microphone and gesticulating like a madman. “Fresh Air!” We are seated in the front row. Diermaier is clomping about in boots checking cement mixers, knocking over barrels, generally making the front row somewhat uneasy albeit in a non-threatening sort of way. Still, as it is nearly Halloween, I would not be particularly surprised should he walk straight up to me with a pair of industrial-strength clippers and begin casually shearing off my toes as part of the next song . . .

Grinder on barrel . . .

A piano is destroyed with sledgehammer.
The same piano is later played by a man seated on one-half of a chair . . .

Geraldine chants . . .

Chainsaw-styro art residual showers the stage with a fine confetti . . .

Calarts students form a spontaneous parade with the bandmembers, weaving now through the crowd for “It’s a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl” . . .

“We need the big man! We need the big man, with the big nose!” Péron is calling Diermaier back out onstage for an encore.

This is art at its finest – truly, its finest.
Standing ovation.