"Art of memory"

Just got back from "Art of memory" which was conceived and directed by Tanya Calamoneri, and presented as part of Ontological-Hysteric Incubator at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery. Sherry had sent an email saying that I had to go to this play that was reviewed in The New York times on Wednesday. The caption on the article included the words "when librarians go bad" and the picture here is "borrowed" from the Times review. cf http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/18/arts/dance/18memo.html The caption should probably have been "when librarians go mad" (in both senses of the word). It was genuinely spooky and wonderful, referring to librarian characteristics, Borges, the Brontes, Butoh. There's a poetical droning sequence about "red books" but I started to hear "read books." The stage setting included stacks of books gone awry, the balcony for the crazy lady/chorus, a screen which turned into a curtained window and exit for the three sisters. Books, librarians, memory. You probably had to be there (but tonight was the last night, according to the program). As I was being swept away by the theater and thought, I wondered if Dad would have enjoyed it. When he visited me in NYC with enough time to do something, he'd pick theater from the possibilities but his tastes were probably more traditional.