I knew entering the theatre that Fury! written & performed by Lauren Bone Noble, was going to be a re-telling of the Greek tragedy Medea. I assumed that the meditated music and the bare stage would set the scene for a contemporary, raw, yet tragic depiction of the tragedy of Medea. The last thing I expected to witness entering the stage was the brilliant Lauren Bone Noble on tiptoe, barefoot with the tips of her fingers painted red, dressed in a tight black morph suit that showed her body. I soon realized that Noble had entered the stage as a Bouffon clown. Bouffons are portrayed as physically "grotesque" and often mock the audience from the position of someone rejected from society.
An experience like no other, Noble interacts with the audience (even bringing a lucky member up to dance!) and simultaneously mocks them, which doesn't serve to make a comedic and witty portrayal of Medea but rather a transformative and critical one through the elements of comedy and physical theatre.
Medea's actions live in infamy. To murder one's child is an act viewed as unforgivable- to harm ANY child is the mark of a monster. As stated in the piece by Medea on our behalf, "We don't do things like that."... Or do we? Medea, a fictional woman who fictionally murdered her fictional children, mocks the audience by casting judgment on her as they sit in a reality where children aren't protected. Where thousands of children are murdered in wars or abused by policies, they are too young to understand. Bouffon laughs at us from a corner of society we have isolated them into and thanks to Fury! Now so does Medea.
Medea's actions live in infamy. To murder one's child is an act viewed as unforgivable- to harm ANY child is the mark of a monster. Medea inquires about the audience's opinion of her in response to her committing filicide and assumes our answer to be, "We don't do things like that." She then reassures us that she understands how morally different she is from the audience. However, that imitation soon turns to mockery, begging the question, do we do things like that? Medea, a fictional figure whose fictional murder evokes judgment and lives on infamy, mocks the audience for casting judgment on her and themselves. Thousands of children are murdered in wars or abused by policies. Bouffon laughs at us from an isolated corner of society, calling out our hypocrisy and criticizing the audience's complacency. Who would think Medea, of all characters, could rightfully judge our treatment of children?
"Fury!"
Written and Performed by Lauren Bone Noble
Director: Bria Walker
November 12-13, 2022
The 13th United Solo Festival
October 4- November 20, 2022
Theatre Row
410 West 42nd (btw 9th and 10th Avenue)
Jackie Leon is a playwright and actor inspired by the subversive. They recently graduated with a BFA in Musical Theatre at Marymount Manhattan College. As a first-generation American and Afro-Colombian Jackie writes through the lens of shattered rose colored-glasses. Their audio play," Ghost Talk: Peach Street" has been featured at Scawwy Howwow Inc. on their Podcast, "Found Cassettes" and their one-act cosmic horror play "RASA" is currently in production. They have also recently had the honor to be a part of the 24-hour Play Festival at INTAR and was cast in Catskill Mountain Shakespeare's production of Midsummer Night's Dream as their Lysander.