"Speechless" by The Moving Company at Jungle Theater

The Moving Company is remounting their 2017 original piece Speechless, although I think it's more of a reimagining than a remounting. It is once again directed by co-Artistic Director Dominique Serrand and starring co-Artistic Director Steven Epp and Producing Artistic Director Nathan Keepers, but the other three company members have changed. So while maybe the framework is the same (loosely speaking, a group of friends mourning the death of a friend), the new ensemble members bring their own talents and skills to the equation, resulting in something new and different. Truthfully, I don't remember many details about this show from seven years ago other than there were literally no words, and it was unique and inventive and moving. So it was like a new and surprising show to me, and I was able to enjoy each delightful and sometimes mysterious turn. For that reason I won't give too many details about what happens in the show, because you need to experience that yourself without any preconceptions. So head to the Jungle before November 10, let go of expectations about narrative form, and enjoy the speechless but not silent experience of Speechless.

"The Room with Closets" by Sparkle Theatrical at the Southern Theater

Immediately after seeing Sparkle Theatricals' original new work The Room with Closets, I posted on my Insta story: "I'm not sure what just happened, but it was exquisite. I feel like I was in a dream." This is one of those theater experiences that is so mesmerizing, that so fully and specifically creates a world through words, movement, music, and visuals, that it absolutely casts a spell over the audience. A spell that's hard to shake when you step out of the theater and back into harsh reality, like waking up from a dream that you don't fully understand but that created such lovely feelings you want to go back to it. It's also the kind of show that's really hard to describe; words fail. I'll do my best, but I encourage you to go see it for yourself. It's a beautifully unique piece, and the creators (theatrical director Jon Ferguson, choreographer Alejandra Iannone, technical director Rick Ausland, and this beautiful six-person ensemble) obviously put a lot of thought and care into every detail. See it at the gorgeous Southern Theater (a space that enhances every performance there) through this week only!