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REVIEW: Elephant's Graveyard | Balagan Theatre | Seattle, WA


"It was September and there was a town... there was a circus... there was a railroad... and there was an elephant... Mary."

This is the opening line of "Elephant's Graveyard", the current selection on display at the aptly named Balagan Theatre ["balagan" is Hebrew for "problem" "trouble" or even "Chaos"]. This Theatre, while entertaining, strives to make you think about humanity, humanity's place in the universe, and your place in humanity.

Sol, Koko, Ruslan and I went to see the show this past Saturday, expecting to be entertained. It was, after all, a show about a town, a railroad, a circus and an elephant, right? Yes. And no.

It starts off introducing you to the characters in the show, and they come across as all being very likable. These could be your neighbors, your friends, your family - even yourselves. The show is a solid piece, 75 minutes, no intermission. There is no clear break between the likable characters from the beginning, and the ugly mess some of them become at the end; their portrayals are very real and very raw. You get to know Mary the Elephant through the stories of the circus folk; you only get to meet Mary directly at the end of the show.

You can feel the show building to a climax, the confrontation between the townies and the circus folk coming on with the rhythym of iron wheels on steel rails. Like a locomotive bearing down on you, riveted to the spot unable to move out of the way; when it hits you, you realize it's not yet finished. You wish for a better outcome, but you know it isn't to be - yet you keep hoping.

Perhaps that is why this type of cautionary tale needs to be told; in the hope that one day, things of this nature will not happen. [Spoiler warning: following this link will affect how you see the show - watch the show first, THEN read about it.]

This show is darkly comic; it will make you laugh, but it also made many in the audience cry through frustration, sorrow and not a few through anger and hatred. Like the complicated stories of peoples' lives, this show will tangle your emotions into a twisted skein you will be untangling the whole rest of the evening - I suggest walking to the show and walking home afterwards in the company of somebody you can talk with.

I highly recommend everybody see this show.

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