Theater Review: The Women of Juarez by Momentum Productions

by Mark-Brian Sonna of MBS Productions

This show is a brilliant example of the power of avant-garde and performance art theatre. Avant-garde theatre has become maligned over the last two decades for there has been such a focus of being sensationalistic. The term began to fall out of fashion in the mid 1990's after a Ron Athey's performance in which he cut himself (or another person, depending on the media report), and supposedly HIV infected blood splattered on the audience. Interest in avant-garde theatre and performance art began to diminish. This has left a bit of a void needing to be filled, for when theatre on the edge is done correctly it can be a transcending experience. Momentum Productions has produced the best piece of avant-garde theatre I have experienced in the last few years, for it isn't just startling, but it is extremely accessible to a general audience, as all great theatre should be.

The Women of Juarez weaves about a dozen selected stories of some of the 400 women that have disappeared or been murdered in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The narrative of each is short but highlights the horror. The women continue to disappear, many later found brutally killed. The youngest murdered was only 3 years old. Momentum Productions is able to communicate the enormity of the horror with the most creative use of a stage and with a group of exceptionally talented performers that serve as witnesses, family members, and at time victims. What makes this production so effective is that the ordinary concept of seeing a "play" is destroyed. It is theatre, but not like anything I've seen in a very long time.

The entire production is a sensory experience. The audience sits in the middle of the stage. The seats are surrounded by what looks like chicken wire and metal posts. You have to look through the wire to see the performers. There are two performance areas on each side of the audience. There is a pathway that leads through the audience that connects the two sides. To see the performers, you have to look to your right or to your left. One would think that this set up would be uncomfortable, but it isn't. The sightlines are amazingly good with no more obstruction then in a regular audience/stage set up. From time to time, the performers will walk through the audience and address it directly. Since Ciudad Juarez is a border town, one cannot help but feel as though one is trapped in the no-man's land between the US and Mexico.

Above the audience on one side is a mobile of pink crosses which has become the symbol of the women. There is a projection of film and slides on a wall that happens intermittently throughout the show. One of the crosses hangs into the light of the projection so as you watch the slides and film the silhouette serves as a constant grim reminder that the subject at hand is mass murder.

At one point, vanilla scented candles are introduced which adds a whole other dimension to the evening. Having grown up in central rural Mexico, I'm familiar with the more morbid use of vanilla. It is a frequent scent in Mexican homes and funeral parlors, since the pungent sweetness is frequently used to mask the odor of faulty sewers and decay. Since there is discussion of decomposing corpses at one point, this scent, even for those not familiar with this use, makes quite an impression.

The subject matter is horrifyingly grim. This said, the aesthetics are so powerfully beautiful that it makes the subject matter palatable. Even in the grimmest moments there is a place for humor. One of the most amazing sequences happens in a bed. Two pillows are hung from a wall. The actors step in front of the pillow and lean against the wall while holding blankets up from under their arms. The immediate effect is that you, as an audience member, are looking down onto a bed from the ceiling.

Another startling effect is the opening transition of the opening short film to the live performance on stage. In the film, the audience is viewing the makeshift erected cemetery/memorial with large pink crosses demarcating the area where women have died. As the film ends, the performers walk on stage with these crosses. It is extremely unsettling because one is unsure if these are the actual crosses or just replicas; either way, it's powerful.

The performers are all strong. With an ensemble cast, there are usually some weaknesses; not here. I will single out three due to space constraints: Carol-Anne Gordon's agonizing scream when she discovers that her daughter has been murdered will forever haunt me. Vanessa Mercado Taylor plays alongside her real life mother an extended ghoulish two-person scene that helps tie the entire evening together. The mother is reading from her diary where we learn that her daughter was murdered. Her daughter unfortunately doesn't realize this at first. These two are revisited time and time again, the daughter become aware that she is indeed murder. The mother never stops reading from her diary in a pained monotone. The mother never speaks English, yet she's able to convey in the drone of her voice a world of sorrow.

I mention that Vanessa's mother never speaks English. I am fortunate that I'm bilingual for I was able to understand every word spoken in this bilingual production. Let this not deter you if you do not speak Spanish. One not need to understand every word said to understand every moment of this play. Pain is universal. There was stunned silence and quiet during the curtain call; not one audience member applauded. It would have seemed disrespectful to the memories of those lives that were shared with us.

Lastly, I will point out the only two flaws in this production that could perhaps be addressed. The first minor quibble I have is the use of white masks. White masks have become so synonymous with avant-garde theatre that they are a bit cliché. It takes great mastery to use white masks like the ones used in this show. Here they are used in a more conventional way -- they indicate anonymity. The effect was too obvious, especially in a show so chock full or imagination. I understand the masks are absolutely necessary, but by simply changing them to pink, red, black, or anything but white, the concept will seem fresh again.

The second one is a bigger flaw: There are no programs! This was a deliberate choice, but the wrong one! Before the play started the production credits were projected onto the wall. After a show as powerful as this, I need to have something to hold on to remind me of this experience. As I departed, I left only with my memories. Perhaps they want the audience to associate with the family members that have lost daughters or siblings, but even they have something tangible to hold on to: a photo, a dress, a lock of hair. I've never wanted a program for a show as much as I want one for this.

The show only runs until August 4, and plays on Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m, and Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m. They perform in the Stone Cottage of the Addison Theatre Center. For reservations, call 817-437-7407.