The new show at The Tank, T. B. Sheets, is a wild ride of self-discovery. It takes
place on a mountain sanatorium for tuberculosis patients. Set at the moments
when the victims, at least the rich victims, were forced to relax as they were
too weak to do much besides smoke, sleep outside and dance.
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| L-R: Lori Parquet and Moira Stone in Buran Theatre’s T.B. Sheets. Photo by Kate Schroeder |
We are introduced to the retreat and the residents by
the entrance of a new patient, played by Moira Stone. She has arrived from the
valley below, unwilling to fully believe she is sick, trying to hide her
coughing fits and uncomfort - both physical and social.
The retreat itself is home to a dizzying array of characters,
seven other inhabitants, plus the doctor. We are told immediately that the
doctor’s methods are unorthodox, and he fulfills that expectation fully. The
doctor (played impeccably by Daniel Allen Nelson) initiates the arrival by way
of an interview in which random words have been transposed, meaning is hinted
at, physical intimacy is introduced and then doctor disappears.
The guests pass the time with dance, discussion and growing
intimacy, both intellectual and sensual. This is conveyed by movement, dance,
discussion and music. The intimacy of others opening the participants to
intimacy of themselves.
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| L-R: Brady Blevins & Danny Brave in Buran Theatre’s T.B. Sheets. Photo by Kate Schroeder |
It the second half, Amelia Earhart arrives via crash
landing, but discovers her true self here in the love of two women. The final
hypnotic member is the ghost of one who has passed, brought to movement and
live by Maybe Burke. They dance and move through the sets, seen only by the
audience and the new arrival – haunting and haunted.
If this sounds fascinating, then T. B. sheets is the show for you. It is a lyrical and conceptual
look at self-discovery and fulfillment through openness.
If this sounds like nonsensical tripe, then avoid T. B. Sheets like the plague it
addresses. It is a show which very much depends on the viewers’ ability to go
with the non-linear flow of the moment and the joy of a caress.
Writer / Director Adam R. Burnett and Co-Director / Choreographer
Lisa Nevada have built a diaphanous structure that is held together by the
audiences’ joy and wonder. It will not work for everyone, but the audience I
saw it with loved it.
T. B. Sheets | Playwright / Co-Director: Adam R.
Burnett | Choreographer / Co-Director: Lisa Nevada | Cast: Moria Stone, Maybe
Burke, Lori Elizabeth Parquet, Nahassaiu DeGannes, Danny Brave, Daniel Allen
Nelson, Tina Shepard, Yuki Kawashia, Brady Belvins, Colleen O’Neill
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