Indifferent Torture
Sound of Silence by Jean Cocteau at Theater Wit
Indifference is one of the most powerful instruments of torture possessed by man. Since it is a form of psychological torture it is difficult to detect, intense but subtle in its effects and despite the fact that the victim probably has complete control over the application, nearly impossible to defend.
The premise of this hour-long monologue is simple: an attractive night club singer is in an unsatisfying relationship with her lover, who routinely abandons her for trysts with his ageing mistress. He also completely ignores the singer by taking refuge behind his newspaper. In this production, the lover is actually portrayed by a projection; it is physically impossible for the image to respond even if given stout blows with a club. The singer is thus trapped by a combination of her love and attraction to the lover and his torturous and complete indifference to her presence, monologue or needs.
The seeming paradox of the effects of indifference—the suffering contrasted with the simple solution of simply abandoning the unsatisfactory relationship—is explored in depth by the gifted European actress Noemi Schlosser. The piece begins with a low level of anxiety as the singer nervously awaits the return of her lover and builds in intensity as the lover returns, withdraws into his newspaper and maintains absolute indifference to her presence.
We are given two subtle devices to observe the passage of great time during the piece. First, there is an image of a telephone that simply exists as unresponsive as the lover. It becomes a symbol of indifference equal in its ability to inflict pain by virtue of its complete silence for most of the piece. On the occasions the telephone does ring, the results are disappointing further heightening effect of psychological pain by first promising relief and then inflicting even greater agony.
The other device used is the image of an ashtray with slowly burning cigarettes. One by one as each cigarette burns to the end it is augmented by another newly lit cigarette. This progression slowly fills the ash tray as a constant reminder that besides being an intense form of torture, indifference can be applied for extended periods of time without danger of the victim expiring because of physical damage.
As the piece proceeds we are witness to the emotions and torments of the singer as she struggles with the indifference of her lover. The effect is profound and the impact strong. This kind of exposition is not easy to achieve and certainly can’t be achieved quickly or with the theatrical devices typically sought by audiences more interested in easily grasped stories and explicitly stated moral lessons. Rather, Sound of Silence is a trip inside the mind of a single individual as she struggles with her inability to remove the pain she is experiencing. It is a journey that takes time to experience and indeed, it does not have a destination; the journey is the point of this intense exploration, not any particular dénouement.
Costuming for the singer is interesting because of its extremes. She appears most frequently in a “little black dress” replete with platform heels. Frequently, however, she removes the dress revealing her 1940s style lingerie. There is something appealing about an attractive woman dressed only in period lingerie—bra, panties, garter belt and stockings (this was before the era of panty-hose, remember). Her final costume is in reality a long, brilliantly red train of cloth that extends from the footlights to her exit up stage left. This exit is accompanied by a cabaret song in French with supertitles mercifully provided for those of us (me included) that are completely unable to understand the French language.
This is an absorbing piece, and judging from the total silence of the audience around me all were as absorbed in Schlosser’s brilliant performance as I was. It’s also a piece for mature audiences. By this I mean audiences who have experienced something of life and love on their own, not necessarily those of any advancing age; some have had profoundly moving life experiences even as youth. To really understand the singer and her travails it is almost imperative that the viewer have experienced something similar in his or her lifetime although perhaps not with the same intensity. The piece made me recall occasions where my own inability to control the indifference of a real or imagined lover had made my own existence vastly more painful than was necessary.
Sound of Silence is highly recommended. It appears at Theater Wit, 1229 West Belmont on Chicago’s North side through December 17th, 2011.
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