MIND FOR ALL ITS WORTH
The antidote to anxiety is control — or so the mind would have us believe. Our knee-jerk reaction to worrying about a situation, event, person, outcome, or (let’s face it) life in general can be a desperate attempt to exert our limited human influence over it all. And we all know how that goes, because indeed control is an illusion — something we never really possessed in the first place.
Take Vinny DePonto for example, the mentalist behind Mindplay, a thrilling 90-minute one-man play blurring the lines between illusion and reality now playing at The Huntington Theatre’s Back Bay location. He begins the show fully in control of us the audience. Stories are told, memories surface, emotions bubble up, and he may not be as in command as we originally thought. As the evening unfolds and some audience participation is required, we see the limits of his reach. Audience members are fallible humans with free will. They may misinterpret his directions, flub them, or in any number of ways distort our perceptions of who or what is in control at any given moment. It’s risky for such an intimate show, and ultimately totally worth it. Kind of like life itself.
The audience’s direct participation in this give-and-take of the illusion/reality paradigm brings us in touch with one another in a poetic, understated way of building community. So much so that would-be strangers ended up having animated conversations with each other in the restroom and the lobby after the show. DePonto fosters that community and connection in other post-show ways that will remain a surprise here and gives us much to ponder with his multi-faceted reminder (Warning? Rallying cry?), “We never think alone.”
In addition to Vinny DePonto’s excellent performance and multi-hyphenate roles in the creation, writing and development of Mindplay, equal amounts of credit are due to Playwright Josh Koenigsberg and Director Andrew Neisler for their parts in the conception and manifestation of this unique show. Production values are tight, with Sibyl Wickersheimer’s intriguing and ever-surprising set revealing itself in dynamic ways throughout. Lighting and sound design by Christopher Bowser and Kathy Ruvuna respectively work together to keep our attention riveted to the present moment as it unfolds onstage and in the house. Enhancing our experience are Alex Harris’s original and evocative music compositions, well utilized throughout.
If this play has important and universal points to make about the nature of control and anxiety, what the mind is capable of, the mind’s fragility and constant susceptibility to manipulation, it also has touching ways of illuminating the nature of memory, perspective, humor, community, and the possibility for healing. “The mind is a funny place,” DePonto sums up. Judging by the knowing laughter throughout the performance, viewers agreed.
If you’re still wondering whether it is worth attending, please note the first thing this enchanted audience member (who appreciates novelty and rarely sees something twice in quick succession) did when she got home: ran to check her calendar and her husband, threw open her computer, and immediately purchased two tickets for another performance. Or was that a trick of the Mindplay?
photos by Chris Ruggerio; middle photo by Jeff Lorch
Mindplay
Huntington Theatre Company
The Huntington at Calderwood Pavilion, BCA, 527 Tremont St. in Boston
ends on December 1, 2024
for tickets, call 617-266-0800 or visit Huntington
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
This critic captures the magic of MINDPLAY at Huntington Calderwood in Boston; it has innovative storytelling and mind-bending illusions. The performance brilliantly combined humor and mystery, leaving me both entertained and mesmerized.