Attention, world. Ion Theatre is back in business, and they mean business. Readers may recall this visceral operation begun by Claudio Raygoza in 2003 as Iris Theatre at the APA. When Glenn Paris came aboard in 2006, they opened a small space carved from a commercial building on 9th Avenue and christened it New World Theatre.
After spending a lot of time, sweat equity and money on 9th Avenue, Ion produced several riveting performances there before being closed down by city inspectors right in the middle of a run of “Grapes of Wrath.”
Prior to that, Raygoza and Iris had caused quite a stir on his own with Samuel Beckett’s “End Game” and Heiner Mueller’s “The Hamlet Machine” at APA, where once Richard Baird’s Poor Players produced Shakespeare on a shoestring. Both theater companies were required to break down their productions nightly so the space would be ready for dance classes the next day. Ion now leases the former Studio A from APA. During the 17 months remaining on the lease, they will share the space with Stone Soup and Al Germani’s Lynx.
Ion’s Lab at APA opened Friday, Nov. 16 with the world premiere of Raygoza’s “Punks,” loosely based on Jean Genet’s largely inscrutable “The Maids,” which local theatergoers have seen several times over the past decade. For those easily mystified by the inscrutable ” and who isn’t? ” “Punks” delivers signposts pointing the way to understanding and clarity.
Raygoza’s text still sets out deliberately to confound: The two protagonists “” are they really brothers or just Brothers? ” call each other by each other’s names (as they do in “The Maids”).
Each also addresses the other by the name of the third character, who is the manipulator of all the goings-on. She/he (played ala Marlene Dietrich by Robin Christ) is the androgynous Marion Papin, who employs the two New York street punks to play erotically charged charades for her pleasure. The punks, Steven Lone as Cristobal Sierra and Markuz Rodriguez as Jesus Montano, call each other “Papi,” which term of endearment may represent the dominant of any pair of men or could be diminutive for Papin. Genet and Raygoza want us to be puzzled.
The visual clues include a sheer magenta curtain that hangs between the bed and the window through which Papin evidently watches the performance. Pay attention to the points at which it is removed.
Paris stages the work quickly and neatly, no holds barred. The work is gristly, grisly, violent and shocking, since it looks unflinchingly at sexual games, voyeurism, sadomasochism, nudity, intravenous drug use and the ultimate snuff. Even from a safe seat in the audience, one’s senses are assailed, and, if one is honest, titillated (Rodriguez is, simply put, a feast for the eyes, and
Lone exhibits marvelous dominance, especially in black leather). To the credit of all, however, something else shines through; something never seen or hinted at in my experience of “The Maids.” It is love. Heartbreaking, impossible love.
With design by Raygoza and Matt Scott, lighting by Crystal Watts and fight direction by George Ye, “Punks” is a theatrical event not to be missed by the avid theatergoer willing to be rocked.
It continues through Dec. 15 at 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday at The Lab, APA, 4580-B Alvarado Canyon Road, San Diego. For tickets ($10-$27.50) or info, visit www.iontheatre.com or call (619) 374-6894.