The surreal acrobatic production, Frogz blurred the line between the stage and the audience as the Imago Theatre company performed at Smothers Theatre on Sunday. Five acrobats donned various costumes and masks to represent different objects and animals, taking their acts off the stage and into the laps of the audience. The creations delivered by the flexible performers ranged from highly life-like frogs to battling musical Slinkys to an especially supple paper bag.
Carol Triffle and Jerry Mouawad created the act featured under Imago Theatre in 1979. At first the act performed primarily in the Northwest, in small venues. The group has since grown considerably from its humble roots and has been featured on television in both Europe and America. They appeared on Broadway for two weeks in 2001 and were nominated for and won several Drammy Awards for their achievement in theater.
The full house on Sunday was as responsive as it was spellbound by the intricate designs and ideas presented in the quirky acts. Performers Rex Jantze, Danielle Vermette, Jonathan Godsey, Jonothon Howard and Joseph Michael Ray Lymous delivered a fascinating and surprising performance that had the audience involved in every twist and turn.
The show moved quickly from vignette to vignette, opening with the title feature: frogs. Three human sized frogs moved in alarmingly accurate frog stretches and jumps while hilariously getting on each others’ nerves.
The show quickly branched into new developments: alligators and lizards, a paper bag, glowing strings, and a cowboy whose face is comprised of drawings he shuffles through to tell his story. Finally, the Sloth Circus” act takes the stage in which all five performers dressed in odd pink costumes and with slow jerky movements build a block tower that proclaims time for “intermission”.
Since the Center for the Arts at Pepperdine heavily promoted this show to the Malibu family community the intermission was much needed for an audience composed of almost entirely young children and their parents.
Audience participation and reaction became even more crucial in the second half of the show. Three large orbs played together to confuse an equally large baby before rolling out into the audience and stealing items from unsuspecting spectators. A larva fly of sorts was played by a performer who had a mask affixed to his derriere and did balancing tricks while upside down. The effect was both humorous and disturbingly impressive. Next penguins played a round of musical chairs. And for the finale the performers burst out wearing their previous disguises into a flurry of falling paper.
Complete with wind to accompany the cold chilly scene of the penguins and multimedia backgrounds the act certainly delivered a sensory experience. The combination of music sounds and silence was more effective than any dialogue could have been and provided many opportunities for humor.
What perhaps eluded the grasp of the younger members of the audience was the amount of athleticism and sheer acrobatic skill the performers possessed. From balance to contrived awkwardness and most of all grace the actors delivered.
Their effortless blend of human animal or inanimate object characteristics was compelling and impressive. The uncanny ease with which they portrayed penguins alligators and even a larva as both fully animalistic and intelligently human had both children and their parents laughing and gasping in awe.
Perhaps the most entertaining aspect of the show was the level of interaction the audience experienced. Orbs rolled off the stage and up the aisles alligators considered the front row a snack and the Slinkys teetered precariously on the lip of the stage.
“I think the show was amazing especially for all of its wonderful costumes junior Sung Woo Choi said. All of the visual effects and sound effects seem to be similar to the experience you would have from shows like the ‘The Lion King.'”
It is easy to see why Triffle and Mouawad have achieved so much success with “Frogz.” Their highly imaginative production is up to par with the lauds and awards it has received from so many different critics.