Like Plato’s famous river, neighborhoods
in Brooklyn seem to change so suddenly that when you come back
to them, they are never quite the same. In Brooklyn we have DUMBO,
Williamsburg and Carroll Gardens as exemplary proof of how neighborhoods
can become "hip" almost overnight.
Mari Brown and Deanna Pacelli, two Carroll Gardens residents,
have been working hard over the past two-and-a-half years documenting
the changes there. They’ve conducted more than 50 interviews
with long-time residents and young professionals, mom-and-pop
store owners and new restaurateurs. The result is "There
Goes the Neighborhood," a one-woman show written by Brown
and performed by Pacelli, who plays nine neighborhood characters.
The hour-long piece is being performed as a series of workshops
through Oct. 12 at Bar Below, at 209 Smith St.
For Brown, "There Goes the Neighborhood" is a work
of more than a little brilliance. For Pacelli, it is a tour de
force requiring both creativity and stamina. With nothing more
than a cigarette (teenaged girl from the neighborhood), a wineglass
(young woman transplanted from Long Island), a pair of oversized
eyeglasses ("middle-aged white chick") a baseball cap
(Italian owner of a 100-year-old pork shop) and same baseball
cap turned backwards (newly arrived Chinese restaurant owner),
Pacelli creates individuals who are both poignantly unique and
hilariously familiar.
Sometimes Pacelli achieves the same effect by merely crossing
her legs and holding her hands in a certain manner (a gay designer,
an old Puerto Rican man). She’s also an expert at accents and
speech patterns (African-American, Puerto Rican, Italian-American,
Long Islander). And only occasionally is it difficult to tell
whether she’s playing a man or a woman.
Brown’s dialogue reflects a startling ability to capture vernacular
speech with all its most subtle nuances. She uses a nice trick
of having the characters answer or disagree with each other using
almost the same words. And Pacelli supplies the perfect gesture
and tone.
The intimate, cabaret-like atmosphere of Bar Below helps a lot,
too.
The unifying thread that ties the characters together and to
Brown’s theme is the character of DJ Transforma, who appears
intermittently throughout the hour-long show, and in the end,
supplies the philosophical framework on which the show rests.
One of the most interesting aspects of "There Goes the Neighborhood"
is Brown’s refusal to take sides in the controversy surrounding
gentrification. The owner of the pork shop is clearly skeptical
of its benefits. The girl who has lived in Carroll Gardens all
her life finds it exciting. The Chinese restaurateur is exuberant
over the possibilities. An old Puerto Rican man seems mostly
confused.
What all these people have in common, however, is their passion
for the neighborhood – whether they remember it as traditional
and close-knit, resent it for its narrow-minded bigotry or respect
it for the changes that are making it more compatible with their
lifestyles.
It took lots of outreach to write "There Goes the Neighborhood."
One pictures Brown and Pacelli nodding sympathetically and taking
notes. This same ability to listen and learn prevails during
the workshop phase of production.
Pacelli and Brown host talk-back dialogues after every performance
and encourage suggestions and criticisms. So if you’d like a
chance to make your artistic opinion go further than your spouse
or best friend, don’t miss "There Goes the Neighborhood."
You’ll also have a great time.
Word on the Street Productions presents
"There Goes the Neighborhood" through Nov. 2, Saturdays
at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 3 pm. Tickets are $8 and include a
free beer. Bar Below is located beneath Faan restaurant, at 209
Smith St. at Baltic Street in Boerum Hill. For more information,
call (917) 873-1432 or e-mail wordonthestreet2003@hotmail.com.
