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EVIDENCE ROOM and ORPHEAN CIRCUS Cast Kevin Artigue Created and choreographed by Ken Roht Art pieces - John Zalewski, Jason Adams, Robert Prior, and Keith Mitchell Stage Manager - Sarah Connine Graphic Design - Colleen Wainwright April 28 - September 9, 2003
Reviews LA Weekly In an hour of pure abstraction, auteur-choreographer Ken Roht and his company assault t
he audience with rapidly alternating song-and-dance styles, ranging from extravagant
musical comedy to darkly primal pessimism. The broad subject is power and subjugation in
human relationships, but sociopolitical concerns are far outweighed by spectacle. Twelve
extraordinary singer-dancers blast through a repertoire of short musical sketches. Roht’s
youthful experience in flashy show-choirs is evident in several bright numbers with classic
Broadway-style choreography that ultimately dissolve into ironic twists. His later
influences steer him into ritual work and dark German expressionism that would make the
Berliner Ensemble blush. John Ballinger’s musical arrangements combined with striking
voice-overs create a brilliant fusion with Roht’s lyrics and oscillating dance
styles. Every aspect of the production, from set pieces to visual artworks (John Zalewski,
Jason Adams, Robert Prior) and costumes (Dottie Sisken and Anthony Garcia), consolidates
to produce a most remarkable work of performance art. – Tom Provenzano Los Angeles Times Over the years, Ken Roht has made quite a name for himself on the Los Angeles theater scene, both as a collaborator to experimental theater maven Reza Abdoh and for his wickedly witty choreography for such shows as Pinafore, the hit Gilbert & Sullivan parody at the Celebration Theatre. But it is as producer of his own theater pieces that Roht has become most widely renowned. He Pounces, Roht's most recent effort, presented by Roht’s own ensemble, Orphean Circus, is a streamlined effort running little more than one hour. In that brief interval, Roht turns our heads around several times, to dizzying effect. The evening is very much a collaborative effort, but Roht holds sway as creator, choreographer, lyricist, co-composer and general overseer. His able collaborators include music director John Ballinger, a half dozen or so composers, several A-list designers and a remarkable ensemble, including Roht himself. The press notes assert that Roht’s primary theme concerns the human need to "conquer and be conquered," but the show itself is an inchoate melange of a decidedly surreal stripe. Whimsy predominates, but the mood can turn dark in an instant. Splicing short sketches with full-blown musical production numbers, Roht samples a blur of subjects, from nonsensical musings on the meatiness of a "Big Blue Cow" to a disturbing meditation on the aftermath of child molestation.– F. Kathleen Foley |
