It seems unfair to write a review of FUERZA BRUTA because words alone won’t do the show justice. If you have the slightest interest in art, theater, or dance, you need to see it with your own eyes. There are actors, but it’s not a play. There’s music, but it’s not a musical or a concert. There’s no stage and no assigned seats; the audience moves around the action and props in a dark, windowless theater. It defies categorization and is unlike any other show you’ve ever seen; this is lightyears away from your high school’s musical or your college’s a cappella concert.
FUERZA BRUTA was created by director Diqui James in 2005. It first showed in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and has since moved to the Darryl Roth Theater in Union Square in Manhattan. Since the production opened in New York in 2007, it has attracted quite the celebrity clientele: Taylor Lautner attended earlier this summer with his friends; other fans of the show include Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Blake Lively. Last year, Usher debuted his album Looking for Myself during a performance.
The show opens with a man dressed in white running high above the ground on a treadmill loop. No matter how quickly or how far he runs, he’s trapped on the treadmill in the center of the room. A shot rings out, and the front of his shirt is streaked with red. He appears shocked and hurt, but continues to run; the treadmill gives him no choice. You begin to wonder if it’s a metaphor for the drone of daily life. I make a mental note to break up my daily routine more often, especially by attending shows like this one.
Over the course of seventy minutes, the performance becomes increasingly bizarre. It’s an explosion of movement, light, sound, and material. Actors glide wordlessly in and out of view. Staffers usher the audience into place to shield them from pieces of flying equipment. A light show flashes to life, illuminating dancers suspended high in the air. Suddenly, there’s a DJ, a strobe light, and pulsating music… where did they come from? It doesn’t matter, grab whomever you came with and dance. What makes FUERZA BRUTA so unique is the location of the action — it’s almost always above you, playing out across the rafters of the vaulted ceilings, while you stand and dance, awestruck, below.
When I first moved to New York two years ago, I didn’t get why the line for tickets extends halfway down the block. Now I do.
Purchase tickets at fuerzabrutanyc.com.