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Perspectivoyage: The Mann Bobb McCauley Experience isn’t really about anything. It doesn’t have a message. The story doesn’t really start until a third of the way through. It opens with a tape of the performers discussing what the show could be about. Then the story of a couple of lonely souls walking to the Grand Canyon begins. Then it ends.
Following the performance was a Q and A with the three performers/creators of the piece. This glimpse into the creative process made the work much more thought-provoking, even if they weren’t trying to do that. The audience learned that they were randomly matched, spent a total of 52 hours creating the work, had no message to push, that their only starting point was a work by David Hockney and the score was from Austrian composer Wolfgang Seierl’s album Birds Only. And we learned: The piece exists for the sake of existing. It’s easy to initially dismiss as pointless, but It actually has a lot going on.
I didn’t know the piece was about art for the sake of art. I didn’t know that the music, which is a great mix of 1950s sci-fi and Spaghetti Western, wasn’t commissioned for the show. I didn’t know each performer was accomplished in their own field (theater, dance, and painting). I’m glad I now know these things. You too may not know what’s going on, but luckily, the artists are more than happy to answer all your inquiries.
“Perspectivoyage” runs June 18 at 3 p.m., June 21 at 8 p.m., June 26 at 6 p.m., and July 2 at 6 p.m. at Source Theatre, 1835 14th St. NW. $10.