Words by Willa Rudolph / Photos by Vogue Giambri
I walked up to a nothing building on 17th street (Studio 17), and into another world. A pink staircase and a yellow ceiling greeted me, along with my friend Dunya Korobova who co- produced the play (together with Brook Sinkinson Withrow) that I was about to see.
Written and directed by Vogue Giambri, I Can’t Make Sense co-stars NYC-based singer-songwriter-producer Tei Shi, centered on Vogue’s real life experience of her mother passing away while she was on tour with Tei Shi creating photo and video content.
With a tagline like “a dark comedy about mommy issues,” I was sold. I’ve also been peripherally intrigued by Vogue’s work (and her film production/theatre company Bebop Productions) for a while—originally my attention was caught because her name is Vogue, which is, like, so cool. When I look at her and her work, I see someone around my age just doing the damn thing. Wanting to create things, and then actually going out and creating them, at all costs.
The autobiographical experimental play is backed by a live jazz trio made up of Antonigiulio Foti (piano & musical director), Christopher Latona (drums), and Neal Perrine (double bass)) and hauntingly beautiful vocals by Tei Shi herself, as she sings original music I can only assume is the actual music she was touring with when all of this transpired. Although the opening song of the play was “Cry Me A River,” first made famous by Julie London in 1955, it was quite a poignant entrance into the world we were about to see—knowing that the play followed the aftermath of Vogue finding out she’d lost her mother.
A trip into the delirium of grief, we spin downward into the main character Jaz’s (played by Viviana Valeria) deepest thoughts, as she copes with the death of a mother who was never really there for her the way a mother “should” be. Four other characters flit around the periphery like moths getting close to the flame (that is, Jaz) until they feel too much heat, and are burned once again, fleeing the scene in fear or anger: including her on-again-off-again good-for-nothing boyfriend (Tim Allan); her fiery and sweet but seemingly selfish half-sister (Ana Sophia Colón); a sexy construction worker who sees a reflection of something desirable in the damaged girl in mourning (Ben Michael Brown); and lastly, the archangel over the entire production (Tei Shi) dressed in all black, singing jazzy renditions.
Tei Shi’s music has always spoken to me, and seeing the relationship she and Vogue have as two artists who collaborated on this work was such a lucky blessing to fall upon. I can only imagine how cathartic writing the play was for Vogue as the plot follows the main character on a journey of confronting her deepest pain, and her most wild demons, with parts of the play seeming to borrow words from Vogue’s actual journal entries written during this time in her life.
The play premiered in NYC yesterday (Thursday 1/30) and will have four more stagings (1/31 – 2/2). The New York shows follow a sold-out run in London last winter! Not our typical coverage, sure, but DIY New York City Music, nonetheless! Definitely look into seeing this play–and following the works of Dunya, Vogue, and Tei Shi–if you know what’s good for you!
(Below video written, directed, choreographed, and edited by Vogue Giambri)