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Straight, no jacket
"The Life and Times of Barry Goldhubris," a multimedia descent into a wealthy man's madness, relies so heavily on its video elements that it dims the spark of Lawrence Goldhuber's live performance.
By ROBIN EISGRAU
Offoffoff.com
A former dancer with the Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Dance Company and Bessie award winner, Lawrence Goldhuber is the sole star of this multimedia look at the unraveling of a tycoon.
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| | | THE LIFE AND TIMES OF BARRY GOLDHUBRIS | Choreography by: Lawrence Goldhuber.
Written and directed by: David Brooks, Lawrence Goldhuber.
Dancers: Lawrence Goldhuber.
Costumes by: Liz Prince.
Lighting design by: Robert Wierzel.
Production design by: Gregory L. Bain.
Films by: David Brooks.
Related links: Official site | | SCHEDULE | P.S. 122
150 First Ave. at 9th St.
Feb. 5-22, 2004
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Three extra-wide screens line the periphery of the stage as Goldhuber walks out onto the stage naked (in darkness) and is showered by silver confetti. On the screens, the life story of Barry Goldhubris unfolds with many a nod to National Geographic and "Star Trek." It seems this Goldhubris came from a line of immigrants who went into the slaughterhouse industry and were very successful. Goldhubris then built on the family fortune by opening a chain of bowling alleys. From that base, Goldhubris became a mega mogul, controlling Wall Street with his every whim and playing a part in many coups. Then he disappears and is found (by us, the audience) in a mental institution.
A lot of this show is like watching a TV documentary punctuated by some performing. After a long stretch of the expository part of the show where we're presented with the facts of Goldhubris' life on screen, we find Goldhuber clad in a straitjacket on a large mat. He then verbally riffs on consumer culture and branding in an impressive manner and executes some fancy footwork while bound. (You really want him to break out of that straitjacket. He references a wide array of pop culture — stretching from Grandmaster Flash to George Bush Sr. — and rolls around on the floor yelping, "Can you hear me now?" It seems as if he's having a media-induced meltdown.
While Goldhuber comes across as quite talented, this show is lacking a bit. So much of it is dependent on video footage that it seems to waste the fact that there's live performance as well.
The show bombards you with many images, but as with a lot of TV, you get the impression that you may have seen it all before. Goldhuber's dancing is eloquent and makes you want to see more.
Perhaps his next performance will be more satisfying.
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FEBRUARY 27, 2004
OFFOFFOFF.COM • THE GUIDE TO ALTERNATIVE NEW YORK
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