The law of unintended consequences kicked in
with a punch to the gut on press night (two days after the Marathon
bombings) for BEOWULF: A Songplay by Banana Bag and Bodice (at Oberon through
May 5th). As you may remember from high school, BEOWULF is the Norse
saga in which the hero, Beowulf, defeats the evil monster Grendel.
In the
year 700, King Hrothgar enlists the help of Beowulf because Grendel has been
killing—and maiming—his subjects. The Banana Bag and Bodice players happily describe
body parts everywhere. (This is intended as a darkly comic piece.) When Beowulf
asks the King what the face of evil looks like, the King replies, “like you and
me” and when Beowulf defeats the monster, his bloody, severed arm is brandished
proudly by the triumphant hero.
Unfortunately for the Banana company, my
response to their satirical take on the epic is colored by the tragic events of
April 15th. I just couldn’t find the sight of a grisly limb at all
funny and their prescient take on “evil” looking like everyman sent my mind
back to the Boston Marathon finish line. Other than that, I did admire their
musicianship but their hi-jinks left me cold. Oh, and you don’t learn much
about BEOWULF…but that’s their point, that it’s a work of “aggressive boredom”
and they’re making it entertaining.
