Basel, for some reason, is where I learn new lawn games. A few years ago is where i learned how to play Boule (or Bocce in Italian, or Lawn Bowling in English). Not only did I learn it, I fell in love with this game. I have since bought my own set and have played countless hours of throwing heavy balls up and down grassy expanses. This year I learned how to play Kubb (or Viking Chess as it is sometimes known). This game was popularized in Sweden (so my love of things Swedish continues). The game is simple, yet would take some explaining, let me just say that you throw sticks at pieces of wood and try and knock them down... that is the easy explanation.
The shows in Basel were really good. The CRUMBS show we played was one of our better ones, the kind where after the show you wished it was recorded, the kind where after the show you want to write down the stories and publish them, the kind where you know that you have somehow tapped into the classic story area of your brain or of the universe. I will try and write some of it out here, but of course I will not be able to do it justice, like always, you had to be there. So be there next time would'ya?
The CRUMBS show:
Our suggestions were “Heaven” as a location and “Photographer” as an occupation.
The show started with a dead body lying on the operating table, where a doctor and a doctor's assistant were pronouncing the person dead. The doctor lamented about how telling the family about the bad news was the part of the job he hated most. Somehow he convinced the assistant to do that for him, dressing him in the white doctor's coat and the most convincing piece of the costume... the stethoscope. The dead man's wife was of course devastated, but realized quickly that her husband would want her to move on and be happy.
We then peak in on a photographer at a job interview. He is showing off his portfolio with his “art pictures” and they are impressive. The interviewer is very interested by the nude picture, which the photographer explains is just a “friend”. The job is for a magazine and would not include the artsy pictures the guy wants to take but would include nude pictures.
We then go to Heaven and see the recently deceased husband at the Pearly Gates. He takes some convincing to believe that he has in fact died, but eventually St Peter gets the message across. The husband isn't ready to just be done and convinces St Peter to let him return as a ghost. He visits his wife. He seems more interested in making sure she fixes the roof, but does not like the idea of her moving on so quickly... especially not with Larry!
The photographer gets the job and his first assignment is to get a nude model and take some sexy pictures. We see him at home with his cat as he is troubled. He must call up his “friend” for the modeling gig, they of course haven't talked since their last “session” and there is awkwardness (awkward is always fun right?). There is also a great monologue about the how the photographer was always so forgetful and that is why he started taking pictures int he first place.
The wife meets up with Larry (sexy Larry he has dubbed himself). Sexy Larry is always taking off his clothes and he is also a taxidermist... so he stuffs dead animals while completely naked... it is natural he says... I know, creepy. The ghost husband hates all of this and somehow is able to connect with his wife before she does anything silly. She feels compelled to go to the hardware store and start fixing the roof. She and the ghost have some sort of communion while fixing the roof and they have a lovely roof top dance/construction.
The photographer and the “friend” are at the studio attempting to have some more nude shots taken. The photographer had to fight for a closed set, which was hard because every single employee wanted to have an excuse to watch. Eventually the model friend (whose name is Rebecca of course) feels much to uncomfortable due to the past encounters with he photographer and has to leave without the pictures being complete.
The husband returns to the Pearly Gates and St Peter sees that as a ghost he has changed history and now is allowed to go back down and take over Larry's body (sexy Larry's sexy body) and that Larry's soul will be called up Heaven. Wife and Larry (now husband) reunite and all is good.
The photographer had the lens cap on but convinces the editor that the pictures of nothing is what he is submitting. The editor loves the concept as the pictures were supposed to go with a cover story about the philosophy of nothing... (thanks Gregore). The photographer and Rebecca reunite and they are on their way to share a life together without all the lovely awkwardness. He wrote a poem for her, his cat had kittens, they smile.
The second show we did was the next night and it was a mixed show with Impronauten. We did a short form set in the first half, and a long form set in the second half.
Highlights:
-An interview with the director of Titanic 2
-A spargle farm's battle with the evil bank
-An artist in NYC who wants to be a failed artist but keeps succeeding
-The day in the Life of a cultural anthropologist... a what?
Hey wait Steve, what is spargle? I am glad I made you ask me this. Spargle is asparagus and is a delicassie here in Germany and Switzerland. They grow a white spargle by keeping it buried in mounded rows. The flavour is heightened and it is quite delicious. It used to be only grown for the King's and ruling class, but now even a crazy Canuck can enjoy it.
More Switzerland posts to come...
