by Kirby Lindsay Laney, posted 7 November 2016
In Fremont, it’s all art, from painted murals to painted cyclists, from dark scripted dramas to outrageously indescribable vaudeville. It’s all art.
As an art form, vaudeville and variety challenge definition. For performers like Kevin Kent, variety provides freedom to practice and – in the case of ‘Welcome to Wonderland’ at Teatro ZinZanni – perfect his craft. Kent has performed in Fremont, at Moisture Festival and last spring in ‘Eulogy’ at West of Lenin, but the truly terrific new show, on now at ZinZanni, takes him back to his early days, and early characters, while challenging audiences with his quick-witted improv.
Through February 26th, under the ‘spiegeltent’, ‘Wonderland’ offers a twisted take on Lewis Carroll’s stories, stirred and shaken with the liberal addition of aerial, juggling, dance, music, humor, and, of course, improvisation by Kent, a master-of-the-craft.
“It’s a little bit of everything,” Kent allowed, “Norm [Langill, Teatro ZinZanni Artistic Director] has figured out a great format, or outline, to present it.” Like most ZinZanni shows, ‘Wonderland’ offers audiences a basic story, binding together the vaudeville/variety ingredients.
“I kind of stumbled into circus and variety,” Kent explained, “I’m not a regular actor. I’m a performer.” Variety shows allow his undeniable talents to shine. “I’ve never fit into any niche,” he said, and “ZinZanni allows the performers to be and do who they are.”
“It’s not a ‘this is what you are going to be,’” format, Kent observed. Through variety, like offered at ZinZanni and Moisture Fest, performers show off what they do well. “You might be asked to build a piece,” toward a specific theme, Kent said, “but what you are and what you do is good. It’s great to find a place that says that what you are is good. There is nothing else like it.”
From A Solid Stock
As a seasoned performer, Kent has developed ‘bits’ that may time out at 2 or 3 minutes, but will expand to 3 or 4, he admitted, as he incorporates audiences into his comedy. “According to Norm [Langill], the moment you touch somebody, it creates an electricity,” Kent said. His Chef character, which appears at the start of ‘Wonderland’, didn’t start as audience participation, but he got heckled during a performance, so Kent sat on the heckler’s lap. “That’s now been my standard for a couple of years,” he explained.
“I prefer that moment of ‘Oh, No, It’s Me!’,” Kent observed, “but it’s not about humiliation. They [the audience member] should win.” Improvisation is about getting a ‘yes,’ and Kent works hard to give his guests a win in whatever bit he creates. “When I started picking people,” he said, “I didn’t have a model. I came at it from Improv.” While learning improvisation, Kent enjoyed building a scene that surprised all the performers. Improv with an audience member allows them to build a scene in the complete unknown, guaranteeing more originality and surprise.
“I’m sensitive to their comfort,” Kent said. He does break the fourth wall with physical contact, to comfort the guest. “With contact,” he explained, “they feel less lost.” He also gives his guests another important comfort. “When you bring him up,” Kent said, “you give him one task.” A task gives the guest focus which also calms them.
Kent likes to make guests feel comfortable, and allow them to enjoy the moment, but he admitted, “the ones that are the most fun are those unpredictable moments.” He had someone pull a knife during a bit, which unnerved everyone including the guest. Kent had asked to see what was in the guest’s pocket, and Kent quickly calmed the situation. Yet, the whole thing got a great comic twist later when a heckler got rambunctious. Kent quieted the heckler instantly by engaging his new, armed, friend, and the audience, in the moment. “99% of the time, I’ve picked the right person,” Kent said, “there is a trigger, and they play along.”
“If you watch what I do during the animations,” Kent said, referring to the conversation and tricks ZinZanni performers do with the audience in-between acts, “I’m touching, talking and getting to know the audience, and looking for willing participants.” He’s proud of his reputation. “I’m not going to trick them, pimp them, or humiliate them,” he explained.
For people who don’t want to participate, Kent gave a short list of what he looks for in a willing guest:
- people middle of the road (not too outlandish, or too introverted – and not too drunk)
- someone who leans forward, into the action
- a person able to respond verbally (not too shy or, again, too drunk)
- a man who is part of a couple, because it keeps them from being too wild, or too self-conscious
Ultimately though, Kent admitted he looks to the napkin. At ZinZanni, most audience members keep their napkin in their hand or their lap. Kent has noticed that even as a guest says ‘no,’ if they put their napkin on the table and scoot their chair back, he’s got ‘em!
Add Special Seasonings
While Kent is definitely a draw to ‘Wonderland,’ this show will astound audiences with its incredible number of amazing aerialists. While listed separately, Gael Ouisse and Alevtyna Titarenko are partners and, with Lea Hinz, all three come from a strong gymnastics background. “Their training is rigorous and ridiculous,” Kent announced, “Their discipline is at the high end of the scale.” For them, performing at ZinZanni, in Kent’s opinion, “it’s a matter of relaxing,” and finding connections to the audience. “The discipline helps them,” he said, “but in terms of Moisture Festival and Teatro, it’s about connecting with the audience.”
With variety, or vaudeville, Kent believes, “It’s about taking mundane things and heightening them to either the ridiculous or the sublime.” Kent enjoys the ridiculous. “That’s why I like the clowns,” he said, and how they take ordinary human experience and make it fun. He used as an example ‘Wonderland’ cast mate Joel Salom, “a handsome Australian nutball,” as Kent described him. Salom juggles musical eggs, and creates delightful music. He then will speed juggle, and takes his art to the sublime. “Somehow,” Kent said of Salom, “it all comes up to a full deck…or nearly a full deck.”
Duo Madrona, aerial partners ZinZanni producers discovered at Moisture Festival, also contribute to the amazing aerial work in ‘Wonderland’ – and look better than ever doing it. Yet, Ben Wendel and Rachel Nehmer have become central to holding the basic ‘Wonderland’ storyline string as they play lost lovers ‘Lewis’ and ‘Carol.’
…And A Secret Ingredient
One of the not-so-secret weapons of ‘Welcome to Wonderland’, however, is Lady Rizo, another Moisture Festival alum. As the chanteuse, she runs away with the show. “She represents a new take,” Kent agreed, “combining character work and singing.” Rather than simply stepping on stage to perform a song, Lady Rizo (a.k.a. Amelia Zirin-Brown,) plays ‘Red Queen Rizo’ in ‘Wonderland’, and performs with Kent, Wendel and Nehmer, participating in the improv and, according to Kent, sometimes spinning them off into whole new worlds.
“My job is to follow her around, and giggle,” Kent explained about Lady Rizo. Usually, “the singer is introduced and may speak,” Kent observed, “because that is what they are used to.” With Lady Rizo, Kent found a willing partner and co-conspirator. “I originally was not going to do a piece with her,” he explained about the concept behind ‘Wonderland,’ “but she was keen to work with me on an audience participation piece.” In the end, the collaboration has created an even more wildly entertaining show.
“Lady Rizo builds a narrative with her songs and then follows up with improv,” Kent observed. Through songs like ‘I Wanna Be Evil’ and ‘I Am A Survivor’, Lady Rizo gives clues to her character, but the improv engages and entertains the audience. He credits her willingness to play with the audience to her background in cabaret. Her magic in ‘Wonderland’ also comes from a dangerousness and capriciousness. Audiences can sense that she will say, or do, anything, as Kent has found.
Mix, And Serve
‘Wonderland’ takes its theme from Lewis Carroll’s classic tales, but it doesn’t tell the story. “I think that’s Joe [De Paul, ‘Wonderland’ Director,]” Kent explained, “he likes a theme more than a story.” It allows the audience, and the performers, to thoroughly explore the freedom of variety, without the drag of a well-trod narrative. Yet, ‘Wonderland’ still gives a beginning, middle and end, and “we let the audience take what they will, and make their own story,” Kent observed.
As for Kent, “I’ve taken my format back to the early days.” Kent has been with Teatro since it began, performing in its Seattle premiere in 1998, and its San Francisco debut in 2000. ‘Wonderland’ gives him a chance to return to tread familiar ground, while building something new each night with the audience.
“We don’t run through any of the acts,” Kent explained about the ZinZanni format, often followed in vaudeville, “they practice alone. I liken it to Garanimals,” Kent said, using the children’s clothing line to describe the ZinZanni shows, “it is that mix and match,” as producers and director choose the best of each performer, and fit them into the show.
“We do run-through the intros,” as in the introductions, “and the out-ros,” Kent said. Each act is framed, and performers practice those together – and sometimes find ways to enhance them. What started with Wendel handing Kent a phone became “a new creation,” Kent explained, as Wendel improvised, and the performers built a new bit.
To see the old and new, and enjoy everything (ZinZanni also serves up a delicious dinner throughout,) get tickets now for ‘Welcome To Wonderland’, through February 26th.
Fremont audiences can look forward to more from Kent, and his partner, Joseph Kery, as their K. Kent Co. production company puts together a one-woman show with another Fremont face from the past, Imogen Love. Look for ‘Dear John’, an adventure through a shoe store, directed by Kent, next spring at West of Lenin, we hope!
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©2016 Kirby Laney. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.