New Paradise Laboratories: Rose Selavy Takes a Lover in Philadelphia

RROSE SELAVY TAKES A LOVER IN PHILADELPHIA is the beginning of a trilogy of works dealing with the history of Philadelphia as a utopian idea. This first part explores the contribution of William Penn to the founding of the city as focused through the lens of Marcel Duchamp’s aesthetic strategies. The piece takes its cues from the famous “rigged bedroom” scene in the movie musical "An American in Paris".

The performance takes place in an unusual stage configuration. The audience sits on two sides of the square, raised stage, each side watching the action of the piece as it appears to them, and simultaneously seeing the "back" of the piece projected behind the actors through live video feed. All entrances are made from below the stage by way of moveable stair cases, ramps, and trampolines.

The piece premiered as a commissioned work at the 2003 Philadelphia Fringe Festival.

REVIEW:

"Rrose is gritty, playful, ethereal and remarkably beautiful. Flawless in almost every regard, Rrose is creative video technology interacting with innovative movement.

In this astonishing display of the possibilities of theater, director Whit MacLaughlin and his ensemble show the past, present and future of Philadelphia as a single cell--a living, breathing entity that exists now beneath our feet and eternally in our hearts and minds." The Philadelphia Weekly