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Back Stage Notes by David
Sheward
November 22, 1999
 Daily Dispatch: Nov. 22,
1999: Of Rainmakers, Tangos, and Airplane Disasters
From the cavernous halls of Broadway, I
ventured to Collective Unconscious, a tiny performance space on the
Lower East Side, where 11 actors crowded into a playing space the
size of a cockpit are recreating six famous air disasters. Using the
transcripts from black box recordings, "Charlie Victor Romeo,"
creates a series of little pieces of hell. The fear and tension is
palpable as the performers playing pilots and crews give us an
ultra-realistic rendering of doom. The miniature playing area and
crowded condition of the audience (we came in late and had to stand
amid a sold-out house) makes it feel as if we are actually in an
airplane. Jamie Mereness created the scary sound design wherein the
crashes reverberate through your chest cavity. Cast members Bob
Berger, Patrick Daniels, and Irving Gregory produced and directed.
The program did not identify which roles the ensemble took on, but
all concentrated on their objectives-to stay alive-with a ferocious
intensity. In addition to the director-producers, Julia Berger,
Michael Bruno, Audrey Crabtree, Justin Davila, Jim Grady, Dan Krumm,
Stuart Rudin, and Darby Thompson make up the onstage crew.
CHARLIE
VICTOR ROMEO
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