UMO Ensemble's Red Tiger Tales: Zen & The Art of Physical Comedy

Seattle theater's landscape is filled with organizations that have a national reputation for excellence, yet, locally, they do not receive the kind of reception that one would expect for those of their stature. UMO Ensemble is one of those organizations. Granted, for a time it seemed as if they had gone terminally dormant, but there was a period in the not too distant past where it seemed one couldn't go three months without hearing about a new production from either UMO, or 33 Fainting Spells, the other prominent movement/theater hybrid found in Seattle during the 90s.

The impression of dormancy was a false one, for while they weren't producing at the pace they had when they started, UMO was still creating productions using their inimitable combination of physicality and cleverly built structures of text. A look at UMO's work during the past ten years reveals a company that assumes that their audience enjoys a good intellectual tumble through the realm of ideas: Fatal Peril explored the human impulse toward violence while using elements from several clowning schools; Final Broadcast pondered whether time as an actual manifestation existed at all; El Dorado was a remount production that told the story of the Western conquest of the Americas using the buffoon discipline; and, finally, Dramatic Episodes of Relentless Utility, a work that's still being developed -- it has only been seen at OtB's 12 Minutes Max and at Annex's monthly cabaret Spin The Bottle -- though, among other things, it is based on Les Chants de Maldoror, a 19th Century novel that many consider to be a work that inspired the Surrealist movement.

Not to suggest that it is all an exercise for the mind and the work doesn't possess an entertaining or humorous element, this couldn't be further from the truth. For example, Red Tiger Tales, UMO's current production taking place in the Bullitt Cabaret at ACT, is a piece that uses the red-nose clown discipline in order to tell stories from the Buddhist, Sufi, Taoist, and Zen traditions.

Tales lives in the chasm between the manic energy created by the clowns and the gentle simplicity of the stories themselves. The mastery of the physical body this foursome (David Godsey, Cecelia Frye, Janet McAlpin, Lyam White) possesses is profound. Elements of karate and capoeira are mixed in with traditional clowning, tumbling and aerialist displays of strength and flexibility; achieving an appropriately exotic effect.

This is done to illustrate the morals at the heart of these brief teaching tales. Here are a few examples (paraphrased): "When harried, sit still and things will work out;" "even in the midst of danger and peril, enjoy the pleasures provided to you;" "material pleasures and outside influences will not fulfill you." Lyam White's adaptation of the source material get right at the point in an unfussy, yet humorous manner. Marchette Dubois' instrumental accompaniment adds a fitting grace note to the proceedings; director Elizabeth Klob does a fine job of keeping the flow going between set pieces.

The show is suitable for all ages; indeed, it was created specifically with them in mind; the ensemble makes an effort to ensure that the parents are entertained as well. It is worth watching this show with a group of children -- through their fidgeting and chattering, children quite often make observations that prove that they are unwitting masters of Zen philosophy (the accursed little moppets).

The overall effect is like attending a pleasant circus that soothes and amuses while it enlightens. Filled with quiet meaning, Red Tiger Tales' impact leaves one contemplating life's underlying stillness amid a hectic world.

Through Saturday April 23, 8 pm; Saturday matinee 2 pm // Bullitt Cabaret at A Contemporary Theatre, 700 Union St // Tickets $5-$20 (Teen Tix $5), available here.