You are what you remember

In Retrospect, created by Federico Restrepo and Denise Greber of LOCO7 Dance Puppet Theatre Company, riffles through the contents of an archetypal box of memories and reveries meant to elicit our own. The multidisciplinary puppet theater piece, concluding its run tomorrow afternoon at La MaMa, lasts less than an hour, just enough time to awaken the child within each of us.

It's a curious mingling of, on one hand, broad gestures and haunting delicacy. Just because my critical Adult Self responds far more readily to the latter doesn't mean that, as far as my Inner Child is concerned, they are not both effective, each in its distinct way. If you go tonight (8pm) or tomorrow (2:30pm), you'll likely discover elements that will appeal to you. For me, there are a few moments of simple beauty yet resonant feeling--Restrepo gently and gracefully whirling a skeletal puppet; Restrepo again, nestling against two giant puppet feet descended from the flies. The piece is dedicated to his late mother, recently lost.

Federico Restrepo dances with life-sized puppet. 
(photo: Lee Wexler)

The performance and production teams are headed by Restrepo (performance, choreography, puppets, set, video, lighting and construction) and Greber (costumes, video performance and voice overs) with fanciful music by Restrepo's longtime collaborator, Elizabeth Swados.

Information and ticketing

La MaMa (First Floor Theatre)
74 East 4th Street

between 2nd Avenue and Bowery, Manhattan

(map and directions)