Reviews of Seeing Each Other:
a (re)visionary Blind Date(co-written and performed by Sandra Alland and Heather Lash, directed by Karla Faulconbridge and Moynan King, invited to New York Fringe 2002)
“...cutting-edge theatre... Seeing Each Other dispelled a late 20th century myth regarding a natural equality in lesbian relationships through the application of chaos theory into a first date experience. This sexy two-character performance, written and performed by Sandra Alland and Heather Lash, with Karla Faulconbridge directing, integrated clever short films (by Anne Doelman) depicting the romantic myths in ordered sequence with the realistic confrontation between characters on stage. A sardonic waiter (ed fielding) cleverly welded the device of a tape recorder to inject automatic rewind into an encounter that, through repetitive sequences, undermines the rules of mating proscribed by sexual politics. The result was a stimulating theatre experience relating a critical convergence where the uncertain outcome triumphs over predetermined behaviour. This cleverly written script also contained one of the best lines of the festival...”– L.P. Streitfeld, NY Arts Magazine, nyartsmagazine.com,
“Best of the Fringe”, NYC, August 2002
“…reminiscent of David Ives’ Sure Thing”
– Peretti, The Village Voice (preview), New York City, August 2002
“…a fun exploration of how personalities clash and, however improbably, come together…amusing and often spot-on…Conceived with a moviemaker’s storytelling sensibility, Seeing Each Other cleverly employs filmic fantasies…like the imaginary sequences in “Ally McBeal” when that show was still funny…And everyone enjoyed the real chemistry the actresses have, despite their characters’ missteps…Lash and Alland give us a window on the contentiousness of meeting with someone to see if they might want to lock lips and perhaps link lives…they capture the sometimes-impeding psychology of female relationships.”
– Kristina Feliciano, offoffoff.com, New York City, August 2002
"...clever, witty discourse...... well-crafted, whimsical, cleverly edited short video sketches that appear sporadically throughout the performance. Shot in the classic silent film style by Anne Doelman, each vignette is projected on a wide screen (with an array of ‘80s pop music used as a back drop) to illustrate the emotional/political concerns or lack thereof between the two protagonists for one another.
Another highlight is a surreal moment captured by the enigmatic, Fellini-like persona of ed fielding (spelled in lower case). He plays the Waiter who, for unclear reasons, perhaps as an oddball/abstract device, lip synchs to a pre-recorded message on a hand-size tape player the synopsis of the story we are about to see. His long, wiry body; his deep, luring, monotone voice; and his frizzled eyebrows sprouting from his narrow head add a sense of intrigue and wonderment to his speech. "– Ivo Tomasini, nytheatre.com, August 2002