Poundemonium

Aptly subtitled, A Sensation, Liitoja’s eighth tribute to the poetry of Ezra Pound roused its audience to feverish excitement or frustration and, for some, both. Devoid of plot, though not of structure, Poundemonium was a three-and-a-half hour collage of taut, wildly idiosyncratic performances whose edges overlap and mesh to create an astounding whole. The large cast’s sublime characterizations ranged from macabre to ridiculous: a young girl in a crumpled party dress described waiting for a lover - lost or dead - while tracing her forearm with a knife; an American pilot replete with old-fashioned flying goggles made a solemn patriotic address to a crowd of stuffed animals.

Generous use of music from Verdi to Benny Goodman, an elaborate rigging of trademark bare light bulbs, and the hovering presence of Liitoja himself – directing the performers throughout the show – complemented this piece which was more like a symphony than a play.

As with most DNA productions, the space (in this case a cavernous church) was used fully; performances happened simultaneously everywhere from the lobby to the organ pipes, freeing the audience to move about. The possibility of allowing interest to dictate not only which mini-performances to watch, but for how long and at what distance is thrilling. However, a few found their delight turn to horror as the performers sought their undivided attention.

To some, Liitoja’s penchant for repetition and the show’s unusual length might have proved tedious and unbearable. But for those willing to abandon linear expectations and match Liitoja’s formidable imagination with their own, the trip was ultimately worthwhile.

Robin Williamson

Theatrum, Sep/Oct’93

Poundemonium

Wow! Hillar Liitoja's whirlwind, chaotic tribute to Ezra Pound is, frankly, mad, wonderfully mad. There's everything here, sometimes all at the same time. The actors exhaust themselves in over three hours of literal pandemonium, delivering their own interpretations of the poet. This is truly the ultimate theatre experience, hands down. $12-$15. St. Paul's Square, 121 Avenue Rd., 323-0699. Until May 15.

Eye Weekly, May 1993

Confounding Expectations

I have mixed reactions to Hillar Liitoja’s drama/dance/comedy Poundemonium, which opened Friday at St. Paul’s Square. The subtitle is A Sensation, but the overriding sensation I took away from it was boredom, strongly flavoured with annoyance.

But the annoyance fades, leaving behind the jokey theatricality, some lovely dancing and good theatrical moments, and a spine- tingling climax that proved, unfortunately, to mark only the halfway point of this four-hour monster. Poundemonium has many memorable pieces of choreography and comic business, surrealistic tableaus, madcap action, gorgeous costumes (by Wendy White) and a lot of endlessly inventive lighting (Liitoja and William Holutiak) and sound (Liitoja and Dominic Giovinazzo).

But there is also a lot of pretentious, self-indulgent nonsense, usually presented at excruciating length, and even the good bits are repeated so often that they lose their piquancy. The show would be profoundly long at half its length.

On the positive side, the dancers are superb. Jacqueline Casey and Denise Druric lie, huddle, stand and sprawl – achingly slowly – on pairs of benches, in perfect mirror-image movement. Ballerina Jacqueline Appel, in a black-swan outfit and boots, makes several lovely and graceful appearances, including a long (naturally) solo and a sort of disconnected trio with Casey and Duric. Then there is the Iron Dance, in which four actresses in parody ball gowns dance with hot steam irons, an unusual blend of make-you-laugh and make-you-duck.

You have to admire Liitoja’s cheek, and also the craft and discipline of his cast and crew. Poundemonium may be boring, but not because people aren’t working. This is a recklessly demanding play for actors, but their energy is unflagging and – as far as one can tell – their timing is excellent.

There are a lot of interesting ideas salted into Poundemonium’s tedium, and a lot of hard-working young talent on view. And we should all have our theatrical expectations confounded from time to time. Perhaps if you go in expecting the boredom, it isn’t such a burden.

H.J Kirchhoff

The Globe And Mail, May 1993