You want to see something, right? Something cool. Go out, have a good time, and feel like you’ve got your finger on the pulse. It’ll make you feel alive, I’m guessing. You want to know there is a creative community in your neighborhood or nearby, that it isn’t all left to the movie screen out of reach from you and yours, that it isn’t only in the established or more traditional halls with only the famous gracing their stages. And, you wonder who these creative people are, right? You want to share moments with them because they are like you, but maybe they will change you, rekindle something gone dark, or make you feel something. Sweet sentiment aside, really, you’d love to just have fun with them. This. This is And If You Lose Your Way or A Food Odyssey, and is performed at The Invisible Dog Art Center in Brooklyn by people you would call friends easily and gladly.
The Invisible Dog is a Cobble Hill, Brooklyn art space hosting this play on food and an old, epic story. After walking the two short flights of stairs that seem like they lead you to the secret part of the building that you are glad you know about, you enter a long, really open space with old, wooden floors that are lit by tall, huge windows on each end. The room is decorated with many mismatched wooden chairs around its center, which is held together by a worn, Quaker-like table. It’s crunchy and feels homey or like you’ve arrived at a party since friendly performers greet you and introduce themselves and their friends. While mingling with the performers and other audience members, you can participate in their questionnaire on food/meals by putting your answers on yellow post-it notes then adding them to the wall along with the others. Before the show even starts, you are collaborating as one group.
During the show, the audience joins the performers by sitting in longish rows that frame the performance space, the kitchen table. Here many gatherings happen with the Mom, Penelope. Particularly heartfelt are those including the Dad, Odysseus, and the Son, Telemachus. The Dad is mostly absent as he journeys through life as a soldier, who is trying to find his way home. The Mom and Son struggle to sustain themselves, but the Son does begin to find his own way in the world. The play interweaves parallel narratives as Odysseus and his struggles mirror those of his wife: to keep promises made to those you love, to sustain yourself without them and to remain hopeful of reunion. A third narrative develops as the son grows older, trying never to forget his roots as he finds his way, just like his Dad. Although these characters were separated, they were connected through food since they had fond memories of making food and sharing it with one another. It was a beautiful story held together with music as its hinges; each character having their moment in the sun- a song.
With music written by Nick Choksi, who another audience member called “the nicest guy in New York,” how can you go wrong? Teaming up with Lauren Feldman and Pirronne Yousefzadeh, they had listeners hanging on every word. I loved the immersive theater style and was surprised at many moments throughout when the actors included us in this journey as they opened us up as collaborators by asking us questions and giving us food. As involved as I felt in the play, I couldn’t wait to find out how it ended, thinking surely the Mom and Dad will reap the rewards of their tenacity or faithfulness and wondering then how their love would be expressed. Yes, it is a relatable twist to an old epic, The Odyssey, but they still surprised me at the end. They opened me up and I think everyone up to the good in each other. I left feeling like I had an opportunity to meet people well and share something special with them, what a privilege! We had good food and good conversation to boot. I found this unique: the creative intention of this cast to unite strangers in such a heartwarming way. So, forgo sand in your shoes, skip the sunblock, forget bug repellent, and seek out And If You Lose Your Way or A Food Odyssey because I know you want to have fun with them too.
-Sally
