He Pounces

HE POUNCES is a non-linear music theatre odyssey, exploring the nature and ramifications of the need to conquer and be conquered. Roht combines spoken word and dance with musical stylings that range from fun-loving vaudeville to techno-trance. The twelve-person ensemble navigates a seamless stream of sounds and imagery, singing and dancing through dream-like, archetypal landscapes of aggression, domination, sexual power, societal oppression and victim consciousness.

Important influences for this piece are surrealist artists such as Bacon and Cocteau; Butoh, American musical theater and German expressionist dance; and collage art(ists) such as Calder’s Circus, Brothers Quay and Reza Abdoh.

Press Reviews

L.A. WEEKLY —
Performance Pick of the Week,
May 15, 2003

He Pounces

In an hour of pure abstraction, auteur-choreographer Ken Roht and his company assault the audience with rapidly alternating song-and-dance styles, ranging from extravagant musical comedy to darkly primal pessimism. The broad subject is power and subjugation in human relationships, but sociopolitical concerns are far outweighed by spectacle. Twelve extraordinary singer-dancers blast through a repertoire of short musical sketches. Roht’s youthful experience in flashy show-choirs is evident in several bright numbers with classic Broadway-style choreography that ultimately dissolve into ironic twists. His later influences steer him into ritual work and dark German expressionism that would make the Berliner Ensemble blush. John Ballinger’s musical arrangements combined with striking voice-overs create a brilliant fusion with Roht’s lyrics and oscillating dance styles. Every aspect of the production, from set pieces to visual artworks (John Zalewski, Jason Adams, Robert Prior) and costumes (Dottie Sisken and Anthony Garcia), consolidates to produce a most remarkable work of performance art.

— Tom Provenzano

L.A. TIMES REVIEW
May 9, 2003

'He Pounces,' and things turn surreal

Over the years, Ken Roht has made quite a name for himself on the Los Angeles theater scene, both as a collaborator to experimental theater maven Reza Abdoh and for his wickedly witty choreography for such shows as "Pinafore," the hit Gilbert & Sullivan parody at the Celebration Theatre.

But it is as producer of his own theater pieces that Roht has become most widely renowned. "He Pounces," Roht's most recent effort, presented by Roht's own ensemble, Orphean Circus, is a streamlined effort running little more than one hour. In that brief interval, Roht turns our heads around several times, to dizzying effect.

The evening is very much a collaborative effort, but Roht holds sway as creator, choreographer, lyricist, co-composer and general overseer. His able collaborators include music director John Ballinger, a half dozen or so composers, several A-list designers and a remarkable ensemble, including Roht himself. The press notes assert that Roht's primary theme concerns the human need to "conquer and be conquered," but the show itself is an inchoate mélange of a decidedly surreal stripe. Whimsy predominates, but the mood can turn dark in an instant. Splicing short sketches with full-blown musical production numbers, Roht samples a blur of subjects, from nonsensical musings on the meatiness of a "Big Blue Cow" to a disturbing meditation on the aftermath of child molestation.

— F. Kathleen Foley

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
MAY 16, 2003

He Pounces

Let’s face it; Ken Roht is a total madman. And watching He Pounces, his latest offering playing weeknights at The Evidence Room, is something akin to melting into the deepest recesses of his gloriously twisted brain. How to describe He Pounces? Virtually indescribable. Experiencing it is like seeing a living dream unfold before your eyes: sometimes erotic, sometimes whimsical, sometimes bordering on the nightmarish, sometimes like your most memorable acid trip. And luckily for us all, it’s like one of those sleeptime visions that seems to have included all those people throughout your day or from somewhere in your life who made some kind of indelible impression on you without you even realizing it. Luckily, the human chimeras populating Roht’s mind also happen to be some of the most talented counterculture artisans in Los Angeles and vicinities. With songs featuring lyrics by Roht and infectious music composed by Kip Boardman, Curtis Heard, Rick Lunn, Scott White, John Ballinger and the playwright, and a troupe of unbelievably brave actors to perform them from the very depths of their souls, He Pounces is without a doubt one of the major highlights of the season. Particularly memorable are the fascinatingly sideshow-tattooed Ilya Pearlman singing the evening’s best number, "Sissy," as well as Liz Davies’ showstopping "Whirling Bubbles," Katie Puchrik’s "Walk Like an Animal," and Roht’s own knockout performance with a jarringly quirky "U.P. Service Man-Buzzing." The entire ensemble, however, needs to be commended, as does John Ballinger for his arrangements and musical direction, and everyone who lent a hand in creating the dreamlike set and incredibly imaginative art pieces which accent it. Still, the final plaudits must go mainly to Roht, who clearly has the complete trust and devotion of his brilliantly gifted ensemble. All cast members and creative persona would obviously do anything he wanted them to do, knowing it would ultimately be the perfect choice. He stages and choreographs without concern for any pre-established rules in his personal shadowy, often bitingly funny, often strident dementia, always teetering on the edge with his signature rule-defying sense of modern urban theatricality.

— Travis Holder