Fuerzabruta (Daryl Roth Theatre)

BOTTOM LINE: Go and see this show NOW!!!! It’s unlike anything you have seen before and you will hate yourself if you miss it!!!

After picking up your tickets at the box office for Fuerzabruta, you are handed a piece of paper telling you that you will stand for the length of the show, be asked to move freely about the space, and might get wet. As you enter the Daryl Roth theatre, you encounter a large, empty room with various flashing lights and a house DJ spinning tracks that can only be described as new world meets house music. You are told to take your place in the giant circle that is drawn on the floor and join the dance party already in progress. Suddenly, the music stops, the lights go out, and you are in for the ride of your life.

What happens for the next 65 minutes is hard to explain, but it will definitely rock your world. The producers describe the evening as an “event where worlds collide, dreams are real and reality takes a back seat.” I say that is a pretty accurate description. From the producers who brought you the in-your-face De La Guarda, Fuerzabruta is nothing short of spectacular. The word Fuerzabruta is literally translated as “brute force,” which is a pretty accurate portrait of what you will see. It’s hard for me to say exactly what this piece is about other than that it is a complete bombardment of all the senses that will mean something different to every person who has the privilege to be a part of this wondrous theatrical event.

You are presented, among other things, with a man who must fight to stay aboard a giant treadmill as he busts through buildings and is transported throughout the space, several aerial acts that rival the best that Cirque du Soleil has to offer, and a giant pool that lowers from the ceiling and rests literally inches from your face where women glide, slide, and manipulate water in truly imaginative ways. If any of that sounds intriguing to you, you must go see this show. As I said before, every person will take something completely different from this show, and that is what makes it truly brilliant.

The audience ranged from hipster East Village types all the way to middle-aged Midwestern women, but every single person in the theatre loved every minute of what they were seeing. You could feel it in the air. The audience truly becomes a part of the action and it is electric, unlike anything you’ve experienced in a theatre, culminating in a full-out house party where every single person in the audience was dancing to the music along with the cast as it rained on a portion of the theatre as they danced their hearts out. I left the theatre completely soaked (you can escape the downpour, since it rains on only a part of the crowd, but why would you pass that up?) When you go see this show-and you should go and see this show-don’t bring a bag unless you want to check it, wear comfortable shoes, and possibly a change of clothes. It is one of the best things that I have seen in a long time, and I hope it will be playing for quite a while. Bring your friends from out of town, bring your adventurous parents, bring your friends, just go and see this show as soon as you can.

(Fuerzabruta plays at the Daryl Roth Theatre, 101 E. 15th St. Performance Schedule: Tuesday- Thursday, at 8pm, Fridays at 8pm & 10:30pm, Saturdays at 7pm & 10pm, and Sundays at 7pm.

Tickets:212.239.6200. Tickets are $75 but you can get discounts if you look online, generally for $39.95, and a limited number of $20 rush tickets are available two hours before the show.
Check out www.fuerzabruta.net for more information.)