Carpe Diem at Cube

Last Saturday I attended another Cube Salon. These evenings at the Cube Gallery are a great way to see a blend of arts. Plays in development, solid musical acts, and poetry, usually from British cannon, are all on the stage. Cheese and grapes are also complimentary, and the alcoholic beverages are always reasonably priced.

This salon was titled Carpe Diem, which means seize the day in Latin. With that spirit in mind, I arrived early sampled the cheese, grabbed a glass of wine, and prepared to enjoy another evening of Cube Salon-ing.

John Carroll kicked off the show with a bluesy set of originals. John Carroll is always worth watching, but this time he also treated the Salon patrons to a brand new song "Fresh Coffee." I really enjoy the musical aspect of the Cube salons, and I would love to see them add a comparable female artist to the rotation for future salons.

Later in the evening, Kel Parsons read some selections from Mathew Arnold and William Wordsworth that were quite appropriate. Parsons also skillfully handled some minor lighting miscues by quipping that "as a spoken-word artist" she needed some light so that she could read her poems.

Next up was Jonathan Koensgen performing his newly created Procrastini. This script, heavily influenced by the work of Sam Shepherd, was just recently completed, and Koensgen was clearly enjoying the opportunity to stage it. The concept for this one-man show is intriguing: Procrastini tells the story of two characters. Stu, who battles with mental illness, spends his days talking to the TV, reading the tabloids, and listening to his friend Chet. Chet invests his energy in trying to convince Stu to go outside, write, and avoid spontaneous purchases from the TV.

Koensgen is a charismatic performer with numerous stage and film credits, and there were many strong moments during this performance. Some of the transitions between characters, however, were a bit rough during, and I couldn't help thinking this show would work better as two man show (at least in its current incarnation). Still, all in all, a very solid start for a play in development. I look forward to seeing its progress.

This is the strength of the Cube Salons: not only do you get the opportunity to see new work but you also to chat with the artists who created it. That's pretty special and makes for an entertaining evening.

Related:

No Reason to be Anxious: A Cultural Salon at the Cube Gallery

The Word Is Out! The Cube's Cultural Salons Are Not To Be Missed

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Write comment

Email Name		Title Comment smaller | bigger
		I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage. Write the displayed characters Add Comment