The company of “Watch NIght.” Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman.
Both riveting and haunting, the world premiere of Bill T. Jones’ “Watch Night” at the new The Perelman Performing Arts Center (PACNYC) was the highlight of our American Theater Critics Association (ATCANY2023 | Holding the Curtain) weekend last month in New York City. Once a year, we gather to talk about writing reviews in this difficult time of decreased newspaper coverage, especially in the arts. Nonetheless, Broadway houses annually invites our group to see (and review) current shows, including popular musicals, on the Great White Way.
Both riveting and haunting…Jones demonstrates his exceptional choreographic talent…a unique and unforgettable journey through movement, emotion, and the human capacity for forgiveness.
On Saturday, November 11, we took a tour of the new center, built at Ground Zero where the echo of tragedy from 9/11 still lingers. A distinctive and modern design contributes to the overall re-development of the World Trade Center. The center was designed to include multiple performance spaces of varying sizes to accommodate a range of artistic productions, including theater, dance, music, and other performing arts.
The venue was intended to be flexible in its use, allowing for a diverse range of performances and events. This adaptability is a common feature in modern performing arts centers to cater to the evolving needs of the arts community. We watched chairs from one theater move high above our heads, eventually to come down onto the floor of an adjoining theater, making the available seats from 400 to over 1,000 with just a push of a button.
Reporters also heard from the center’s executive and artistic directors before participating in a press tour of the landmark new facility, created first by Frank Gehry of Merriweather Post fame, and completed by chief architect, Joshua Prince Ramus, founding principal of REX designing firm.
Press releases describe the theaters as “three flexible spaces that can be configured in 62 different ways—different ways, from being in the round to being in a thrust to being in a proscenium. So there is an element of surprise and delight that patrons get when they come into the space. Not only do they get to enjoy incredible art, but they can come into the space through one door and be in a theater in a round; come back into the space six weeks later, enter through that exact same door, and be in a thrust. So there is an element of surprise and delight that we’re thrilled to offer.”
The Perelman Performing Arts Center was envisioned as a cultural hub, contributing to the revitalization of Lower Manhattan and providing a space for artistic expression and community engagement. Who could do better than Bill T. Jones to showcase a dance/theater piece that deals with community issues? For Jones, he dealt with the murder of young Black girls at a church in Charleston, South Carolina and the killing of innocent Jews praying at their synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Jones demonstrates his exceptional choreographic talent by stripping away any superfluous fluff, allowing the actors to communicate through pure movement. His choreography serves as a dynamic and integral force in propelling the narrative forward, creating a seamless fusion of movement and meaning.
“All art is informed by a spiritual impulse,” Jones told a group of dance critics at a Pittsburgh conference. “Language and idea and emotion transcend intellectual discourse. We keep trying to find a way to sort through it,” Jones said. “My voice has found a new outlet: the time-tested power of spirituals. I find it a more effective way to talk about complicated ideas, about healing.”
The Perelman Performing Arts Center provides an ideal backdrop for this emotionally charged production. Its intimate setting allows the audience to feel fully immersed in the unfolding story, creating a profound connection between the performers and those in attendance.
Inspired by the massacres at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. and the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, this Perelman Center commission was conceived by the choreographer and director (Jones) and the poet and librettist, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, with a score by Tamar-kali. The play’s exploration of forgiveness is both timely and timeless, providing a cathartic experience for the audience. Jones skillfully navigates the complexities of the human experience, using the language of dance to convey emotion that words alone cannot capture. The performers, under his guidance, deliver a compelling portrayal of characters navigating the delicate terrain of forgiveness in the aftermath of tragedy. Jones prefers to allow for a much spontaneity as possible in his performances.
This production transcends the boundaries of traditional theater, offering a unique and unforgettable journey through movement, emotion, and the human capacity for forgiveness. Multi-disciplinary performer, Cooper Stanton, who jumped into the role of “Echo Chamber” in the afternoon performance, captured Jones’s strong desire to uplift and unite with his vibrant jumps and falls and creative moves. Although Jones’s H.I.V-positive status and the loss of Arnie Zane (who is still listed on the company name) to AIDS are the emotional background to many of his dances, there’s much more positive energy to his works. Just to see Jones on stage or hear him speak about dance/theater has been known to lift many a viewer’s spirits.
Years ago, I sat in on a lecture by Jones at the aforementioned Pittsburgh dance conference. He began by confessing he was “singing the blues.” After his latest testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of tragedy, I think he still is. Catch this show if it pops up somewhere.
Running Time: One hour and 50 minutes without intermission.
“Watch Night” ran November 8-18, 2023 at the Perelman Performing Arts Center near Fulton Street subway station, New York 10006. For more information on this vital arts center, visit here.
