The Nalaga’at
Deaf-Blind Theatre Ensemble’s NOT BY BREAD ALONE (@ Paramount Theatre thru
April 6th) allows us, on the outside, a privileged look into a world
we can only “assume” about. We assume that permanent silence is bleak, empty, perhaps
white noise—when it’s actually
extremely loud. The company plays an audio simulation for us and it’s not at
all benign: We’re quite uncomfortable, stressed by the incessant scratchy sound
in a matter of seconds. Even our thoughts about blindness are altered. We may
think that blindness would make a person tentative, hesitant, and wary of
dangerous obstacles but the Israeli performers bravely dance, walk and run
fearlessly around the stage.
Some of the
performers are blind. Some are deaf and many are both. Vibrations from large
drums give them cues for scenes, as well as Israeli sign language and Russian
sign language (which is translated into touch signing for many of the actors).
Seeing and hearing signers at the side of the stage translate for us and for
some of the actors with minimal vision. Setters help some performers hit their
marks.
The performance
piece opens with all eleven company members seated at a long table. They’re
kneading dough into tiny loaves which will be baked while we watch scenes
revealing their dreams and ambitions. The title is both metaphor and germ of
the piece. These eleven people do not live just to survive. They live to laugh,
dance and love, just like us. One of the loveliest parts of the performance (so
difficult to pick, so many beautiful vignettes) is each’s chosen recipient for
the bread: “I would feed it to orphans” or “I would feed it to a poor, tired
old man” or “I would feed it to birds.” At the end of the show, they feed us.
The performance
was created by Nagala’at founder Adina Tal and effusively narrated by Itshak
Hanina, who is often found stage left at a Braille typewriter. (In addition to his
acting, he writes poetry.) A couple of deft vaudevillians, Mark Yaroski (who
pays homage to his idol, Charlie Chaplin) and Igor Osherov (a chess champ in
his other life) clown around like Laurel and Hardy, with Yaroski madly darting
around Osherov to confound him and delight us. Evgenia Shtesky gets to portray
a bride in one fantasy and she plays a familiar Russian melody at the piano.
Rafael Akoa’s dream is to visit Italy
and so he does in NOT BY BREAD ALONE.
