Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind!

The Neo-Futurists Theater, located on 5153 N. Ashland Ave., is not your typical theater—nor is its cast that directs, writes, and performs their long-running play, Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind.

For one, the logo on the theater's sign has the face of a little boy who looks like he just found out that Santa doesn't exist. Upon climbing a flight of mint green stairs, you'll soon find yourself in a narrow hallway with walls covered in various artwork depicting U.S. presidents—ranging from serious portraits to the artists' whacky interpretations of them; the hallway then leads to The Kitchen, the place for your refreshment needs, as well as a small corner where they sell t-shirts and buttons.

Once seated, I noticed the numbers 1 through 30 written on sheets of papers and hanging from a clothesline. The cast (composed of Lisa Buscani, Kurt Chiang, Bilal Dardai, Genevra Gallo-Bayiates, John Pierson, Tim Reid, and Ryan Walters) greeted the audience and gave an overview of how the TMLMTBGB would be performed: they would attempt to perform 30 original plays in 60 minutes, and the first number they heard from the audience would be the play they would perform (the titles of the plays were on the other sides of the sheets of paper). Once they said "Curtain!" it would signal the audience to yell out other numbers.

Then they gave the green light; audience members yelled, number 10 was plucked off the clothesline, and I had no idea what to expect.

All 30 plays were, in one way or another, simply about life; the actors wrote them in order to share memorable moments of their live, with an touch of interaction between cast members and the audience. Number 19, "TSA PDAs," was a spoof on how revealing body scanners are at airports—and involved a few audience members volunteering to run their hands through the actors' hair, touch their stomachs, and rub their legs as the actors stood in a single file line with their arms reaching out. This type of situation added a hilarious twist to the typical scanning that is done, and was something that pretty much everyone understood because they had gone through something like it at one point in their life.

But other plays revealed personal issues and sad memories, like No. 22 "Law and Order," in which one cast member shared experience with a friend who passed away from cancer. Gallo-Bayiates stood quietly at a podium, filing and clipping her nails, as Dardai held a flashlight above her—the only light on in the room. Then, Luke Halladay, the man in charge of sound, played a pre-recorded narration of her talking about the days when she'd watch the television show Law & Order with her sick friend, who would file and clip her nails as they watched it and talked. Such a heartbreaking moment from her life made me realize that although an actor can put on many different faces, they might still be brimming with emotions that they are holding back.

But not all original mini-plays in that Sunday's showing of TMLMTBGB were dramas; one in particular simply featured Reid sitting on a chair, asking audience members to take out their cameras or phones to record the political statement he eloquently gave, addressing politicians in D.C. It was during those serious plays like this one that the audience got a greater understanding of the employment difficulties that actors face.

The acting quality of the cast was zany, experimental, and just plain funny. Their new twist to theatre is unbelievably refreshing—something that was proven by the fact that every audience member was captivated throughout the entire performance. The Neo-Futurists are also big believers in breaking rules. Several times, they interacted directly with the audience, whether it was by laying on someone's lap, throwing paper into the crowd, or pulling the entire front row to dance on stage for play No. 16, "Deja Dardai" (my favorite part of TMLMTBGB).

There was no drastic use of costumes or makeup; virtually none of the actors changed their outfits, and if they did, it was only once in No. 12's "OUT TO SEE." Similarly, the only props used on set were just a couple of chairs, podiums, and a table. The lighting concept was a simple, yet impactful utility of light vs. dark; candles were used extensively during the play, especially in the outright hilarious No. 26 play, "On the desire to be a kung-fu master."

The overall performance of the Neo-Futurists was one that left audience members feeling energetic and happy upon leaving the stage, a true testimony in proving that the actors succeeded in their role of entertainers. Besides their clever use of interaction with the audience (which made people feel as if they were a part of the play), the best part was the sense of humor and playfulness of the cast, something that is rarely seen during most plays.

The only downside of TMLMTBGB? The length—one hour is just not enough to watch these talented people entertain a room full of people with their charm and ability to turn theatre into something completely new.