Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Downtown theater is alive and well: Boxcutter Collective’s DIMENSION ZERO and Talking Band’s TRIPLICITY

• By drediman
• October 29, 2025
• No Comments

In recent days, I ventured far from the bright lights of Broadway to catch two specimens of avant-garde theater, both of which evidenced that New York’s storied downtown theater continues to be alive and well. Here are my thoughts on these uniquely quirky theatrical experiences from off the beaten track.

DIMENSION ZERO
Boxcutter Collective at HERE
Through October 30

Over at HERE, Boxcutter Collective has taken up shop to present its latest creation Dimension Zero (RECOMMENDED). A self-proclaimed “sci-fi puppet-filled anti-capitalist musical theater spectacle”, the piece is an absurdist adventure that tells the epic cautionary tale concerning decidedly female aliens who take it upon themselves to battle the spread of humanity’s greedy, self-centered nature into the wider reaches of the universe. The zany piece draws liberally from the retro science fiction aesthetic of classic cinematic works like Metropolis and Flash Gordon, as well subversive cult musicals such as Little Shop of Horrors and The Rocky Horror Show. Add to the mix aspects of Sesame Street and the giddy mayhem and disaffected demeanor of downtown theater, and you get a unique concoction that oddly clicks as both family entertainment and an irreverent ode to New York City. Featuring a simultaneously catchy and bouncy rock-tinged score — accompanied by a deliciously game live band — and a handmade analogue staging that often seems to haphazardly careen towards utter chaos (the sets and puppetry seem constantly on the verge of disintegration), the show is intentionally rough-around-the-edges and delusionally ambitious, which is absolutely part of its charm. Throughout, the performances are at once deadpan and droll, which seems aligned with the overall sensibility of the show.

TRIPLICITY
Talking Band / Mabou Mines
Closed

Perhaps not quite as ambitious but equally quirky and playful was Talking Band’s recently shuttered production of Triplicity (RECOMMENDED) at Mabou Mines’ performance space in the East Village. Written and conceived by the irrepressible Ellen Maddow and directed by her husband and longtime collaborator Paul Zimet (both are co-founders of Talking Band, which has been a mainstay presence in New York’s downtown experimental theater scene), the piece tells the story of three strangers living in New York City — a habit-driven woman in the twilight of her days, a young aspiring writer, and a blunt blue collar exterminator supporting his extended family. They are refracted by a Greenwich Village street performer, who manifests their collective personas into a silly — if occasionally indecipherable — musical collage. Throughout, thematic motifs repeat and intermingle in a curious hybrid blend of theater, performance art, and dance (the idiosyncratic choreography and stylized movement are courtesy of Sean Donovan and Brandon Washington). Monologues are repeated but with different details and slightly altered cadences with each revisit. The result is a mini-tapestry that reflects the energy, possibilities, and mysterious alchemy of living in the city. Unlike the aforementioned Dimension Zero, Talking Band’s Triplicity is tightly staged and performed with bright-eyed rigor by the quartet of El Beh, Lizzie Olesker, Steven Rattazzi, and Amara Granderson.