A Very Grand Guignol Christmas
The legendary Theatre du Grand Guignol was all the rage in Paris in 1897 and lasted until 1962.The performances featured plays and spectacles that were meant to titillate the senses, leaving the audience to roar with laughter or recoil in terror. A doctor was kept on hand to treat the many spectators who fainted nightly.
Billed as the Andre de Lorde Grand Guignolers of Paris, the performances take place at The Art/Works Theatre in Hollywood. We are treated to three separate acts but the whole evening is really the experience. We are met at the door by silent white-faced clowns (the scary kind) who offer us the once banned drink absinthe to sample. You can buy a beer to drink as an alternative. The show begins with a demonstration of how to mix and make the tantalizing drink.
First up is the violent farce These Cornfields where a very high -strung couple battle it out though a visitor. We learn that this baiting, beating, and bewildering the guest is a recurring event. Pity the poor visitor as he is put through their torturous routine.
Next up is a delightful horror story told through finger puppets. These puppets are just as violent as the Cornfields and even more- bloody. Puppets are just part of this adventurous evening which features mime, movement, and puppetry.
The last act is the most gruesome and the most -bloody. It’s about a jealous doctor who exacts revenge against his wife’s lover by drilling into his brain. Oh yes, lots of squirting blood.
This whole evening of terror is presented through the work of actor/director Debbie McMahon who obviously takes this whole evening very seriously. She is by far the best performer but apparently the whole company helps to put it on and make a success of it. My only real regret is that the acting wasn’t more polished. If spurting brains and caustic puppets are your thing then this is for you. www.grandguignol.eventbrite.com