We’re back at Frigid New York for another short festival, this time Queerly 2024. I have picked a handful of shows to review from this summer’s line-up.
Founded in 2014, Queerly is FRIGID’s annual celebration of all things artistic and LGBTQIA2S+. Queerly strives for diversity on and off stage, seeking out queer teams and artists of all kinds as well as a wide range of shows and performances.
“Our goal is to provide a space for queer artists who’ve rarely or never seen their identities portrayed on stage to be able to represent themselves and tell their stories their way, as well as to provide a space for queer celebration, pride, and strength.
Queerly was started by Erez Ziv and then curated by Kevin R. Free for many years. It is now curated by FRIGID co artistic director Jimmy Lovett.”
The Goblin Woman, dir Tori Bogacki, 70 min
“A battle of dichotomies takes the stage in M. R. [Mackenzie Robin] Krestul’s new work, The Goblin Woman. The experimental play explores gender, queerness, desire, and identity through the lens of Christina Rossetti’s acclaimed poem, “The Goblin Market.”
In The Goblin Woman, a series of vignettes, devised movement, poetry, and scenography tells the story of Lizzie and Laura, two fragmented parts of the same self, and Jeanie, a long-lost-almost-lover.
The tale is driven by warring identities and powerful, unyielding feelings that prompt us to question who we are, who we were, and who we will be.”
Christina Rossetti’s poem “Goblin Market” has always drawn interest from those growing up because of its heightened language and erotic charge.
It was never meant for children but often appears in anthologies of poetry aimed at that age group.
The story of Laura and Lizzie who are tempted with fruit by goblin merchants can be read as a depiction of puberty and sexual identity.
Here, this production is performed by an all-female/non-binary cast who use Rossetti’s words as a base for story and movement.
Bathed in blue and pink lights, turning into white, it looks beautiful but could do with subtitles so that all the nuances of its sound can be appreciated.
As Laura and Lizzie absorb the forbidden fruits of the goblin market, their giggles and explorations are completely innocent and believable.
There are attempts to take the fruit metaphor into humorous territory, but this feels a misstep in tone for such a focused and thoughtful piece.
Better are the scenes where temptation and obsession cause all the senses to become alive and the goblins to help the girls navigate their physical and emotional journeys beyond childhood and into the unknown, with all its faults.
Whether you interpret the poem (and play) from a feminist angle, or a moralistic one (Rossetti was deeply religious), or whether it is simply a piece on the dangers of the unknown, this production finds something deeply sensual and satisfying in it, using dance and movement in an integrated way.
I would suggest exploring the original poem first, to get a sense of what the play is using as a stepping stone.
You might read into it depictions of addiction or devout passion, carnal knowledge or cultural disobedience, or simply the excess of a young woman who will eat what is forbidden and hang the consequences.
Cast: Gabrielle Bodet, Nic Cullen, Ava Grace, Kaitlyn Rose RaBocse, Olivia Ray, Kat Quinones (Jeanie), Laura Scott Cary (Laura), Mackenzie Robin Krestul (Lizzie).
You can follow the fortunes of this play on Instagram.
***.5