REVIEW: Idiot-Syncrasy

After having the Thursday performance cancelled due to illness and multiple phone calls attempting to exchange my ticket, I arrived at the Arthur Miller Theatre for Friday’s performance of Idiot-Syncrasy hoping it was worth all the trouble I took to get there. It was that and more.

At the end of the show, I turned to my friend and said, “I think that that is one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen”.

Walking in the doors, we were greeted with a sign stating “Attention: Bounce at Own Risk”. Littering the lobby were giant exercise bounce balls. What’s more, they were covered in costumes- there’s no other word for it; some were horses, unicorns, or dinosaurs that you bounced on. There was a bowl full of small bouncy balls for audience members to take and play with before the show. When taking our seats, we were intrigued and eager, but unsure what to expect.

Idiot-Syncrasy appears as a deceptively simple performance. When described to others, the premise sounds ridiculous: Two guys stand against a white drapes, on a white floor, and bounce. Quoting from UMS’ website: “The Urban Dictionary describes “idiotsyncracy” as “any method or procedure based in ritual or dogma that continues by force of momentum beyond the limits of common sense”’. So they’re right: the premise is nonsensical. But yet, it makes perfect sense.

Arriving on stage, Igor and Moreno looked actively around the audience, waiting in silence. With their stares they engaged every section of the house. And then they waited. Long after the murmuring and twittering of people arranging themselves in their seats had died down. As the title implies, the performance is full of moments that push and break our instinctual limits of an action. Then, between one breath and the next they began quietly to sing.

Another trademark of the show was the gradualness with which they moved and the slow rise of their actions’ momentum. It’s almost imperceptible if you stare, trying to catch when the change happens. Then, when you look at a different area of the stage for a second, when you look back you notice the change as if it was drastic and not the slow movement it was in reality. One moment they’re singing and tapping their feet, the next they are bouncing. And they never stop.

The physical and mental endurance it took to perform that hour long show, never stopping moving, most of it based in the repetitive up and down movement of jumping, is mind boggling. Though during the after show Q and A, they mentioned how the idea for bouncing came in relatively late in the creative process, this was the anchor for the performance that spoke to perseverance, the slow change it causes, the sense of momentum, and interweaving layers of meaning that this show explores.

There were beautiful moments where they held each other, leaning on each other, or revolved around each other in mesmerizing movements but there was also humor: The meticulous folding of their clothes after frequent quick changes, handing out red solo cups and Vernors to the entire audience- all done while bouncing mind you. This perfect blend of humor and perseverance, combined with their unabashed eye contact with the audience, created a true sense of intimacy. In the best way. It was devoid of the awkwardness that audiences normally feel when the fourth wall is broken and they are forced to engage with the performer- I didn’t feel uncomfortable when he was standing inches from me, bouncing, looking intently. I felt apart of what was happening and it was powerful. And that is what made it beautiful.

For more work by Igor and Moreno, check out their website.