ha ha ha ha ha ha ha, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Washington, DC

 


Julia Masli in ha ha ha ha ha ha ha at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. Photo credit: Cameron Whitman Photography.

The current offering at Woolly Mammoth, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha (which I will refer to as ha7) created, written, co-directed, and performed by Estonian clown Julia Masli, fits neatly with the five Woolly Mammoth shows (one co-produced with Folger Theatre) I have seen in the past year. While they are wildly divergent in subject matter, what ties them all together is this: they would not (and most likely could not) be produced by any other professional theatre in the DC area. Woolly Mammoth’s work gives us a glimpse into a variety of cultural experiences that would not otherwise be accessible to DC audiences. They expand our horizons and challenge our preconceptions about our society and the world around us.

The program introduces Julia Masli as “an award-winning clown from Estonia,” but her appearance and performance run counter to mental images of clowns that I brought to the experience. She is neither the happy circus/birthday party entertainment clown nor the classical “sad” clown, though she at times portrays elements of both. Rather, she is an ephemeral, waif-like creature, who matches the eerie, mood-setting music when she appears in a theatrical haze. She wears a spotlight of sorts on one wrist. Her other arm is most often encased in what appears to be the hollow leg of a department store mannequin. Her headdress is topped by another, more powerful spotlight, adding to the otherworldly ambience. The setting is non-descript but includes, suspended from above, a chair that appears to have been patched together. Additional elements are added as the performance proceeds.


Julia Masli and audience members at Woolly Mammoth Theatre. Photo credit: Christopher Whitman Photography.

At first, she utters one syllable (“ha”) over and over again, giving it different intonations and even confronting audience members with it. She confronts, cajoles, coerces, even calms several audience members to join her on the stage. (I believe there were eight in all, not counting a bugler who suddenly appeared in the theatre’s balcony at one point to play “Taps.”) We are asked to believe that these are randomly-chosen as the performance progresses, though the complexity of the tasks some of them must perform, music and sound cues, and the instantaneous appearance of certain needed props contradict the assumption that all were random. We are informed (again, by the program), that since the show’s content depends on audience interaction, the material may be different from one show to the next.

The program tells us that Masli’s goal is to “solve people’s problems and eventually win the Nobel Prize,” but she keeps being interrupted by winning comedy honors. This show was nominated as the Best Comedy Show at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival and considered for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. It enjoyed a four-week run at New York’s Soho Playhouse before coming to DC and will later appear at New York’s Lincoln Center.

Indeed, during the performance I saw, three of the audience members chosen to participate were asked what problems they faced. Two women reported that their kids were their problem and a young man said that his problem was that he was in love with a co-worker. Masli expresses compassion and concern for their difficulties, but can only provide temporary and unexpected kinds of relief. At the end of the hour-long performance, she exits the stage, leaving the hapless audience participants behind.


Julia Masli in ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Photo credit: Cameron Whitman Photography.  

Kim Noble co-directs with Masli. Costume designers Alice Wedge, David Curtis-Ring, and Annika Thiems collaborate (I suppose) on creating the mystical costume Masli inhabits. There is no credit listed for a composer for ha7, so I assume that sound designer Alessio Festuccia either composed or assembled the soundtrack. Lily Woodford’s lighting design provides the flexibility necessary to move as the action demands.

Some will be entertained and others puzzled by ha7 , but all can truthfully say they have never seen anything like this “one of a kind” performance. DC audiences may catch ha7 before it must close on August 4.


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