Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Ave. at 19th St.
March 15-20, $10-$59
212-242-0800
www.joyce.org
www.dougvaroneanddancers.org
Long Island native Doug Varone is celebrating his company’s twenty-fifth anniversary with the New York premiere of Chapters from a Broken Novel, running at the Joyce March 15-20. The evening-length piece consists of twenty vignettes inspired by quotes from books, movies, and overheard conversations, resulting in dramatic portraits that delve into human nature, the body, and private and public intercommunication. Composer and percussionist David Van Tieghem will perform his original score live; the crew also includes lighting designer Jane Cox, scenic designer Andrew Lieberman, and costume designer Liz Prince. Doug Varone and Dancers, the resident company of the 92nd St. Y’s Harkness Dance Center, features Julia Burrer, Ryan Corriston, Natalie Desch, Erin Owen, Alex Springer, Eddite Taketa, and Netta Yerushalmy, who will be following up such relatively recent projects as Alchemy, Dense Terrain, Lux, and Orpheus and Euridice.
Update: Like a great book that you can’t put down, Doug Varone & Dancers’ Chapters from a Broken Novel — performed without intermission — contains compelling characters, unexpected plot twists, complex relationships, and emotional depth. Consisting of twenty vignettes ranging from barely sixty seconds to several minutes, the evening-length piece begins with “Spilling the Contents,” in which the full company presents a dazzling overview of what is to come, a sort-of précis filled with anticipation, followed by individual chapters whose titles are projected onto an arched white sheet hanging from the ceiling. With percussionist David Van Tieghem providing live accompaniment to his prerecorded score, the seven dancers flawlessly turn the pages of an abstract cinematic narrative that offers aggressive conflict, introspective moments of loneliness and desperation, scenes of chaos and confusion, depictions of love and desire, and forays into death and forgiveness. The outstanding company is highlighted by Eddie Taketa’s somber “Funeral,” Erin Owen’s playful “Tile Riot,” Netta Yerushalmy’s breathless “Twelve Dreams for Rent,” and Ryan Corriston and Yerushalmy’s poignant “Ruby Throated Sparrows,” with subtle but superb lighting by Jane Cox, often casting haunting, illuminating shadows against the backdrop. Chapters from a Broken Novel is a thrilling night of moving literature at its very best.