CAN YOU HEAR THE PIGEONS
Written/Directed by William Electric Black aka Ian Ellis James
Presented by Executive Artistic Director Crystal Field
Theater For The New City | 155 First Avenue, New York City
February 27th - March 16th, 2025
The clambering sounds jolt you right out of your seat. A jam-packed audience sits in rows of chairs as the rambunctious cast swerves in and out of the aisles—welcome to writer/director William Electric Black’s CAN YOU HEAR THE PIGEONS. Mr. Black takes us on an audacious reimagining of classic literature The Lord of the Flies in his stellar new play. We have left our familiarities at the door, the theater now our new dimension. “Kill the pig, slit its throat, spill the blood,” those searing words echo throughout, eviscerating your psyche down to your bitter senses. Who are we in this world? What is the point of this flesh and blood if we are meant to rot amongst the powers that be? For 80 haunting minute s, we too are victims on an island, escaping from our comforts, our freedom. The powers that be here punish and take us away so that we, the audience, also never take flight.
Lighting and sound designer Alexander Bartenieff’s brilliance never goes unnoticed, as the red jarring hues, strobe lights, darkness, and cacophony of sounds whisk us into the vibrations of helplessness. The imagery becomes embedded in your mind, with the talented cast of actors interacting seamlessly in the space. With the marvelous writing and direction of Mr. Black, we are wrapped in his intricately woven, vicious helm, at the mercy of the world he has crafted. War erupts resulting in parents sending a group of young boys and girls to an island. In this vicious pit of an island, castaway youngsters must read, breathe and regurgitate, Lord of the Flies. A temporary sojourn for safety proves to be an insidious affliction upon impressionable minds, savagely left to their own vices—poisonous minds discovering the savagery within.
Cultural institution Theater for the New City lends itself as the perfect platform for Mr. Black to express his artistic vision. The space lends itself to the authenticity and intimacy needed to amplify the artistic delights of the carefully manufactured and crafted world. After winning seven Emmy awards for his work on Sesame Street, the sky’s the limit for Mr. Black with his continual contributions on screen and stage. No detail is spared. The actors mask around in pig-face masks elaborately crafted by artist Susan Kaplow. Not only do the masks create haunting imagery as the actors menacingly speak into megaphones, but you can even see flies embellishing the pig faces! Much to the audience’s surprise is how, before our very eyes, we see the unfolding of a microcosm of society self-destructing. What makes it all the more harrowing is that the entire ensemble is made up entirely of actors barely into their early 20s.
CAN YOU HEAR THE PIGEONS forces us to come face to face with how even our most vulnerable, impressionable, and delicate minds become victims and subservient to the powers that be. The ravages of greed, war, and power spare no one—not even the young. A caged pigeon centers the stage, and though we are aware it is inanimate, the playwright builds suspense, tension, and momentum to the point where we long to set it free. The characters, like the caged pigeon, become caged internally with the turmoil and conflict.. The pigeon serves as a metaphor for how being born free with wings to fly is taken away by the mere mortal and fragile rules that govern and dictate a society at war.
We are mere mortals, after all. What separates us from the hounds of savagery to proclamations of humanity is put to the test in CAN YOU HEAR THE PIGEONS. Prepare to be shaken to your core on this journey—within the discomfort lie the answers we must boldly face. To hell and back, come witness the perils of a society gone awry, giving us more reason than ever to fear the implications of war. It looms over us now more than ever.
Review by Bianca Lopez.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on March 16th, 2025. All rights reserved.