Kindness (1986)
Production
"Mixing film with theater and dance, 'Kindness' begins as an illustrated lecture. On a screen are projected a sequence of like and unlike words and objects. Playfully, Mr. Chong arranges them as building blocks until they form a superstructure of harmony and discord.
From there, he moves into live action and the tale of Buzz, a gorilla with soul and a limited future. What gives the comedy its impetus is the matter-of-fact style. No big deal is made about the gorilla; his schoolmates do not acknowledge his species and they intuitively understand his grunting form of communication. Idly, they all chatter about adolescent pursuits.
In the background is a tuneful assemblage of eclectic music (from Jelly Roll Morton to Puccini), a pristine set design by Anguss Moss and a directorial concept that is coordinated with light and sound effects. Most of the actors are from Mr. Chong's Fiji Company; all operate on the author-director's channel.
Repeatedly, in the course of the show, an actor walks across the stage carrying a large rock; it becomes a comic motif. Finally, he puts the rock down, then surrounds it with other rocks, slowly creating a habitat for Buzz: gorilla at large returns to the zoo."
"The Stage: 'Kindness'," Mel Gussow, May 7, 1986, http://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/07/theater/the-stage-kindness.html
From there, he moves into live action and the tale of Buzz, a gorilla with soul and a limited future. What gives the comedy its impetus is the matter-of-fact style. No big deal is made about the gorilla; his schoolmates do not acknowledge his species and they intuitively understand his grunting form of communication. Idly, they all chatter about adolescent pursuits.
In the background is a tuneful assemblage of eclectic music (from Jelly Roll Morton to Puccini), a pristine set design by Anguss Moss and a directorial concept that is coordinated with light and sound effects. Most of the actors are from Mr. Chong's Fiji Company; all operate on the author-director's channel.
Repeatedly, in the course of the show, an actor walks across the stage carrying a large rock; it becomes a comic motif. Finally, he puts the rock down, then surrounds it with other rocks, slowly creating a habitat for Buzz: gorilla at large returns to the zoo."
"The Stage: 'Kindness'," Mel Gussow, May 7, 1986, http://www.nytimes.com/1986/05/07/theater/the-stage-kindness.html
PROD.1986.0020
Ping Chong (director), Ping Chong and Company (performer), Anguss Moss (set design), Mel Carpenter (costumes), Blu (lighting designer), Brian Hallas (sound), Phil Lee (sound), Jan Hartley (contributor), Jeannie Hutchins (performer), Lenard Petit (performer), John Fleming (performer), Louise Smith (performer), Roger Babb (performer), Louise Sunshine (performer), David Kronick (tech), Paul Sharratt (documenter), Scott Wallace (tech), Norman Douglas (tech), Alki Steropolis (tech), Karen Booth (tech), Howard Thies (lighting designer)
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