tango//bride [1999]
structurally based on Tango by polish playwright slawomir mrozek, tango//bride also utilized textual and imagistic elements of the classic film The Bride of Frankenstein, jean-paul sartre’s No Exit [in both french and english], and text from do-it-yourself book Wiring You Can Do in Your Own Home. using four on-stage tv monitors, two studio-style cameramen, and microphones hung from the ceiling of the former army barracks that housed the piece, the ensemble of performers and technicians tell the story of a young man growing up in a family so bohemian that the only form of rebellion left to him is right-wing conservatism.
a series of gestures, sounds, and light surrounding the playing of a card game, the mocking of an uncle, and the emptying of a lit fish tank. conversation weaves in and out of the playback and reenactment of dr. frankenstein describing the beauty of his new creation to the monster. the marriage proposal – monitors are moved to the front of the stage and the scene is shot live as a soap opera in a close-up two-camera style. the rejection – the young man barges off the stage and exits the theatre with cameramen following. scenes from no exit are intertwined with grandmother lifting herself onto the operating table and preparing herself for the afterlife. the murder – the young man is offed by a recent lodger with a penchant for beautiful young women. anyone seem to mind?? roll end credits.
| direction & conception | ptr flaherty |
| stage | tracy otwell |
| video | ptr flaherty & justin spitzer |
| light | ptr flaherty |
| sound | michael kraskin |
| clothing | olivia shanks & suzi pegg |