Rose: You Are Who You Eat, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Washington, DC

 

John Jarboe in Rose: You Are Who You Eat at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. Photo credit: Teresa Castracane.

I could not more succinctly explain Rose: You Are Who You Eat than does John Jarboe, who conceived, wrote, and performs it:

A true story of gender feasting, set to music. Once upon a vine, John Jarboe’s aunt revealed that John not only had a twin sister in the womb, but that John consumed her: “You ate her. That’s why you are the way you are.” This was a lot for John to swallow! In this musical shrine to the consumed twin, named Rose, John welcomes you into a feast of gender through song, storytelling, and a full plate of wordplay.

Something between (or incorporating aspects of) a play, a performance art event, a cabaret act, a stand-up comedy act, and a confessional, this autobiographical tale challenges any (perhaps all) assumptions an audience might have about gender. Opening as it did on the evening after the annual DC Capital Pride parade and during Pride Month, the play finds an appropriate home on the Woolly Mammoth stage.

It is witty, irreverent, introspective, and confrontational, all at once. There are moments of sentimentality, regret, anger, and questioning, resulting in a kind of liberation as Jarboe’s tale unfolds figuratively, and somewhat but not quite literally, Jarboe peels away the layers until completely exposed. Aided and abetted by four musicians, Jarboe leads us through a 75-minute exposé unlike anything you have ever experienced. Truly, this production is one of a kind.

The pre-show music cleverly includes a portion of Ethel Merman’s iconic “Rose’s Turn” from the musical Gypsy. Before the play begins, we observe images projected on a black scrim, which we begin to realize are being projected from behind the scrim, where Jarboe is preparing for the performance while consuming a bucket of chicken and including a lot of finger-lickin’. Strewn around the musicians and other parts of the stage appear to be garlands of roses.

As stated in the premise above, John, playing John, has been told (as an adult) a fantastical tale of gestational cannibalism, in which he is responsible for consuming his never-born female twin. The John we meet is the product of a Midwestern Catholic upbringing who presents as an effeminate queer man (though we learn later that this is now how John perceives things). Escaping the confines of his upbringing, John engages in personal introspection to the nth degree, a process which appears to be continuing as the story is shared with audiences.

The music and songs, composed by Emily Bate, John Jarboe, Daniel de Jesύs, Pax Ressler, and Be Steadwell, contribute to the proceedings. Though largely unmemorable, they succeed in heightening emotional moments. Bate (guitar) and de Jesύs (cello) are joined on stage by Yifan Huang (keys) and Mel Reign (drums). The on-stage musicians contribute limited vocals as well as fulfilling their instrumental duties.

MK Tuomanen serves as director for the proceedings, a daunting task of directing a creator in the creator’s creation. Christopher Ash contributes scenic and video design, continuing Woolly Mammoth’s excellent use of projections (as I have noted in reviewing earlier productions). Rebecca Kanach is responsible for the costume designs, which culminate in the creation of a rose unlike any other. Other design aspects are in the capable hands of Kate McGee (lighting) and Taylor Jedlinski (sound).

John Jarboe in Rose: You Are Who You Eat. Photo credit: Teresa Castracane.

Jarboe’s personality is always up-front and in-your-face, but she can also be sympathetic and wryly comic, almost concurrently. Jarboe sharply includes references to DC and the events of the day. The point of the performance, it seems to me, is to share one person’s unique journey, to offer insight into a life unlike those of most of its audience members, reminding us that everyone’s story is unique and every person has value. Rose: You Are Who You Eat, which continues through June 23, is presented by Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in partnership with CulturalDC.