Trav S.D.'s Tent Show Tetragrammaton

The premier of Trav S.D.'s Tent Show Tetragrammaton is rapidly sneaking (or, really, trampling) upon us, and with its thrilling approach has come a distinct lack of sleep and lots of hard work here at The Cabinet's (now happily shared) Headquarters.

But it's all in the name of excitement and wonder, so who can complain? Not I! Ape men! Realistic fighting! Music of ALL KINDS! VooDoo! Hope Cartelli (who is 8 1/2 months pregnant, so WHO KNOWS what will occur!)! ALL of Piper McKenzie! Mummies! A Baby Grandma Witch! Fortune telling! And spaghetti! For a delightful teaser, see below.

And if this isn't a hard enough sell : yours truly is directing one of the pieces contained within!

But enough of this hyperbole. The man who has self-styled himself Trav S. D. has written a couple of lovely and illuminating blog posts about two of the short plays contained in the Tetragrammaton: The Strange Case of Grippo the Ape Man and The Universal Rundle which are well worth a read.

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I read and write about fairy and folk tales an awful lot. I'm not a particularly huge fan of the ultra-literal. I heartily believe that aping the details of everyday life doesn't make something particularly more like life. In other words, just because something isn't real, doesn't mean it's not true. Trav's offerings all live in that place, the liminal spaces that exist somewhere in the boarderland of history and myth . Dripping with Americana, music and folk tradition.

I'm also so beyond thrilled to be involved in a show at LaMama. I feel that there are all these odd lineages in New York Theater, and mine feels so directly tied to the work and people that sprung out of the Caffe Cino back in the 60s. I've been working away in the realms of Downtown Theater for what feels like a lifetime, and to be doing something in the House that Ellen Stewart built is an honor and a thrill.

Information and tickets can be found here.

I hope everyone had a lovely 4th!

I certainly did! See the ten wondrous exhibits below.

1. Man playing a trumpet on the subway to Coney Island. He doesn't look as if he enjoys his job:



2. Not eschewing sartorial loudness, er, magnificence:



3. Trav is pensive on the subway.



4. Killing time in the Freak Bar before Trav's presentation on P.T.Barnum in honor of his 200th birthday at the Coney Island Museum:



5. Dick Zigun making the introductions:



6. Trav (blurrily) plugging his book, No Applause-- Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous:


7. Lorinne Lampert performing with her ukulele:


8. Trav talking oh so engagingly about P.T. Barnum and his legacy:


9. Lorinne and Trav S.D.



10. Trav and I, post-talk:



And then, like all good Americans, we went to a barbecue in someone's backyard, for which we are lacking photographic evidence.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!