This piece is part of the Abrons Arts Center QUEER NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL. Confusions is based on the novel The Confusions of Young Torless. The novel is about three school boys who gang up and start abusing a fourth classmate, Basini. One of the three, Torless (Romano Nikolic), finds he has sexual feelings for Basini (who strangely is played by a woman in this piece). However, this isn’t a straight forward play – it is a performance art piece and might not be for everyone.
I have to admit I had a hard time getting into the piece. It is in Croatian with English subtitles on one of the walls. However, there is too much action going on stage that it becomes impossible to follow the subtitles. I also found myself constantly turning my head watching the performers; even though the space was small the performers utilized every inch they could. As a result, I felt like I was missing some of the performances while tilting my head back and forth. The performers do give their all and there was a certain energy felt throughout most of the piece (the second part does drag). I would encourage you to see it with an open mind – you might come away feeling differently than me.
As for the nudity, it does not disappoint. The first nude scene involves all four men in the cast. The three younger guys were gorgeous – dancer’s bodies, bare chests, and nice uncut dicks. Nikolic was hairless down below while the other two were trimmed. The older man, Ognen Drangovski, was hairy with a fuller body but his dick was quite large and uncut. The second nude scene involves Adrian Pezdirc and Domagoj Jankovic, who put it all out there for everyone to see!
For seating, blog reader m_lo has the best recommendation – sit slightly off center on one of the cushions in the front row. That way you have a good angle to see through the blackboards and table during the first nude scene. It does seem like most anywhere you sit will give a good view though – and the chairs might be more comfortable than the cushion row.
Only one performance left. Nudity Rating: 5
http://www.abronsartscenter.org/performances/queernyinternational2014/confusions-qny-2014.html
