Ethos Physical Theatre Company of New Jersey presented this press preview of The Last Door. A monkey entered the stage swinging from the ropes with abandon. A large lumbering tortoise entered the stage from the left. Their exchange brings to light that they are stuck inn a zoo enclosure. their keepers were gone for an unknown reason. Perhaps it was an apocalypse. They argued about the one door out and weather it was locked. All the while the tortoise made its way across the stage which is I assume where the door might be located. Then the monkey had a revelation that might lead to their freedom. But at that moment the play was suddenly over. It couldn’t have been more than ten or fifteen minuets. The audience sat dumbfounded for another 10 minutes thinking that there might be more to the story. At least let us know it they made their way out into the world. But the story was over before it began.
The tortoise was kind of interesting as a puppet requiring two handlers, and the monkey was acrobatic but not quite as entertaining as Cirque du Soleil acrobatics. It was an existential children’s fable with no discernible moral. I felt a bit duped to have entered the door to the theater and was thankful when I found it on the way out. Regardless I got a decent sketch.