In various West African traditions, biological twins have a sacred\/profane mystique. In Yorubaland in particular, they are considered magical and given special names, possessing a specific social function akin to the \u2018alchemical union of opposites\u2019 in Western Hermetic traditions… these varying facets of twinship are themes explored in this play.<\/p>\n
The piece also culls from A more sinister belief that also runs rampant in other Nigerian cultures, the cult of the abiku or the ogbanje\u2014the evil (or merely capricious) child spirit who returns over and over again… that is, the child is born, lives until the age of two or even three and then decides to return to the delights of the spirit world, and then decides to come back to earthly realm\u2014via the same mother. A classic case of indecision…
\nThere are some unfortunate women plagued by these spirit children who insist on straddling the best of both worlds. The result is an endless cycle of birth, death and grief…<\/p>\n
Both traditions find their culmination in the Haitian Vodoun pantheon\u2014 the Marasa\u2014 unborn twins, innocent and mischievous they wreak all kinds of mishap upon living relatives.<\/p>\n
Other Vodoun deities appear as characters within the play\u2014 the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9s, a very stylish and tricksterish clan of Politicians and legislators. The ultimate socialites, the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9s tend towards dandyism, often given to wearing black, dark glasses, and a fair amount of couture.
\nWhile the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9s appear to be marauding socialites, their real function is to reinstitute justice. In Haiti, the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9\u2019s have the reputation of appearing out of nowhere in a crowd and switching the current\u2014a funeral becomes a wedding; a wedding becomes a riot; a riot becomes a massive dance party… They appear on the scene to correct imbalances in the social scheme. However the justice they instill is often of a strange skewy caste\u2014never lacking in characteristic flair and panache…<\/p>\n
Extracting truth from the strange, outsize and bizarre is a Gu\u00e9d\u00e9 specialty.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the most popular of all the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9s is Baron Samedi, aristocratic, elegant, and of saturnine aspect\u2014the Baron is the prototype of the Magician in tails, pulling rabbits and suchlike out of the hat. The Baron is usually invoked in civil suits to provide a just outcome. He is also \u2018Lord of the Crossroads\u2019 and gatekeeper to the cemeteries.
\nEleggua also enjoys a great deal of popularity as the archetypal trickster. In this play, he is utilized in his \u201clittle Miss Eleggua\u201d aspect\u2014a brave ,tricky and elusive girl who shows up in the most unlikely places.<\/p>\n
Grande Brigitte, (featured in the Celtic pantheon as well), also presides over cemeteries. She is the consummate judge and jury. Here, she is rpresented in her \u201cQueen Victoria\u201d aspect.<\/p>\n
This brings us to the very particular aesthetic of the play, which carries with it an Edwardian nuance. To this writer\u2019s mind, the Vodoun religion which developed as a syncretic blend of West African religion and Catholicism by the slave populations in Haiti\u2014crystallized it\u2019s identity in the late 19th century. aesthetic. In particular, the dandyism of the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9s\u2019 is emerges from the same socio-political roots that produced Brummel\u2019s affect, Whistler\u2019s fashion composition and the Wildean epigram\u2014all prefiguring the headrush of decadence to follow the death of Queen Victoria.<\/p>\n
This same decadence is refracted in the domestic tragedies of the Hapsburgs, which amplified in larger political contexts, lead to the eve of the first world war…<\/p>\n
Crumbling empires, failing institutions, slave revolts\u2014the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9\u2019s inhabit the glee of the oppressor\u2019s yoke falling off\u2014except in their case, instead of a tightened noose, this clan much prefers an elaborately wrought cravat…<\/p>\n
Being a \u201ctragicomedy of manners\u201d (and a parlour game), \u201dIntimate Relay\u201d naturally lends itself to the rules, social restrictions, the corset armature, the superfluous bustle, the diginified poise and the stiffened upper lip exemplified by Victoriana.<\/p>\n
All this is not to say, as per casting, there is any obligation to follow a code of racial guidelines\u2014rather, there is a Black and White theme inherent to the design of the play that may be enhanced by staggered casting…
\nor not.<\/p>\n
What is more pertinent is that the accent on these integral archetypes is pronounced in the rendition of this play.<\/p>\n
Intimate Relay \u00a92005, 2013 onom\u00e9 ekeh<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In various West African traditions, biological twins have a sacred\/profane mystique. In Yorubaland in particular, they are considered magical and given special names, possessing a specific social function akin to the \u2018alchemical union of opposites\u2019 in Western Hermetic traditions… these varying facets of twinship are themes explored in this play. The piece also culls from A more sinister belief that also runs rampant in other Nigerian cultures, the cult of the abiku or the ogbanje\u2014the evil (or merely capricious) child spirit who returns over and over again… that is, the child is born, lives until the age of two or even three and then decides to return to the delights of the spirit world, and then decides to come back to earthly realm\u2014via the same mother. A classic case of indecision… There are some unfortunate women plagued by these spirit children who insist on straddling the best of both worlds. The result is an endless cycle of birth, death and grief… Both traditions find their culmination in the Haitian Vodoun pantheon\u2014 the Marasa\u2014 unborn twins, innocent and mischievous they wreak all kinds of mishap upon living relatives. Other Vodoun deities appear as characters within the play\u2014 the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9s, a very stylish and tricksterish clan of Politicians and legislators. The ultimate socialites, the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9s tend towards dandyism, often given to wearing black, dark glasses, and a fair amount of couture. While the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9s appear to be marauding socialites, their real function is to reinstitute justice. In Haiti, the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9\u2019s have the reputation of appearing out of nowhere in a crowd and switching the current\u2014a funeral becomes a wedding; a wedding becomes a riot; a riot becomes a massive dance party… They appear on the scene to correct imbalances in the social scheme. However the justice they instill is often of a strange skewy caste\u2014never lacking in characteristic flair and panache… Extracting truth from the strange, outsize and bizarre is a Gu\u00e9d\u00e9 specialty. Perhaps the most popular of all the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9s is Baron Samedi, aristocratic, elegant, and of saturnine aspect\u2014the Baron is the prototype of the Magician in tails, pulling rabbits and suchlike out of the hat. The Baron is usually invoked in civil suits to provide a just outcome. He is also \u2018Lord of the Crossroads\u2019 and gatekeeper to the cemeteries. Eleggua also enjoys a great deal of popularity as the archetypal trickster. In this play, he is utilized in his \u201clittle Miss Eleggua\u201d aspect\u2014a brave ,tricky and elusive girl who shows up in the most unlikely places. Grande Brigitte, (featured in the Celtic pantheon as well), also presides over cemeteries. She is the consummate judge and jury. Here, she is rpresented in her \u201cQueen Victoria\u201d aspect. This brings us to the very particular aesthetic of the play, which carries with it an Edwardian nuance. To this writer\u2019s mind, the Vodoun religion which developed as a syncretic blend of West African religion and Catholicism by the slave populations in Haiti\u2014crystallized it\u2019s identity in the late 19th century. aesthetic. In particular, the dandyism of the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9s\u2019 is emerges from the same socio-political roots that produced Brummel\u2019s affect, Whistler\u2019s fashion composition and the Wildean epigram\u2014all prefiguring the headrush of decadence to follow the death of Queen Victoria. This same decadence is refracted in the domestic tragedies of the Hapsburgs, which amplified in larger political contexts, lead to the eve of the first world war… Crumbling empires, failing institutions, slave revolts\u2014the Gu\u00e9d\u00e9\u2019s inhabit the glee of the oppressor\u2019s yoke falling off\u2014except in their case, instead of a tightened noose, this clan much prefers an elaborately wrought cravat… Being a \u201ctragicomedy of manners\u201d (and a parlour game), \u201dIntimate Relay\u201d naturally lends itself to the rules, social restrictions, the corset armature, the superfluous bustle, the diginified poise and the stiffened upper lip exemplified by Victoriana. All this is not to say, as per casting, there is any obligation to follow a code of racial guidelines\u2014rather, there is a Black and White theme inherent to the design of the play that may be enhanced by staggered casting… or not. What is more pertinent is that the accent on these integral archetypes is pronounced in the rendition of this play. Intimate Relay \u00a92005, 2013 onom\u00e9 ekeh<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,15,16],"tags":[17,19],"class_list":["post-84","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-excerpt","category-foreword","category-theater","tag-drama","tag-intimate-relay"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t