Threepenny Collective’s Corpse Flower at C Venues Aquila is a weird piece, though not in a negative sense, but in its amalgamation of multiple elements and curious happenings that invite the search for explanations, meanings and interpretations.
An entertaining, if rather confusing tragicomedy
The company explains that in an old, godforsaken coastal town struck by famine, young Millie struggles to support her ailing mother by slaving in the pesticide factory that strives to protect them from swarms of flies. Worse comes when the townspeople are eaten by a swarm of ‘silly billy bugs’. Thereafter, the characters are transformed into various grotesque insects. This event plays havoc with the distinguished suitor’s' pursuit of Millie and his financial dealings with her father over the bride-price. An eccentric, money-grabbing aunt is the source of medication and Millie also has dealings with a local fisherman. This is all accompanied by a live original piano score worthy of the silent movies.
It all makes for an entertaining, if rather confusing tragicomedy, which is not surprising given that the company has tried to contrast themes of ‘decay and redemption’ while ‘drawing on expressionist masterpieces like M and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Alice in Wonderland, A Nightmare Before Christmas, and the heady world and dark humour of Franz Kafka’; an excess of riches for a 60 minute play.
The performances are strong and the company, founded by Ilya Wray, Michal Vojtech and Ariel de la Garza Davidof, recent graduates of the University of Cambridge has carved an unusual niche with this work.
