Courtney Taylor on Xora Odelle

Dear Xora,

After the brilliant, funny, and thought-provoking performance of Traps I saw, I left thinking about the movie “Ratatouille” (Remi WISHES he had the whimsy of this Mouse) and scholar Jack Halberstam’s exploration of chrononormativity, where the timeline pushed upon us – dating, marriage, babies – is an oppressive and cisheteronormative force to be resisted and rethought.

In the world of Traps, Woman and Man are pushed through life stages that feel wrong to them. Man tells the audience he feels like time is flying, all the days blending together; in a captivating interlude by the Mouse as a waiter, we see Man and Woman get engaged rapid-fire in the background. In a bleak near-future, where Man is bringing AI to the Department of Defense and Woman is a struggling artist who can’t sell paintings, the Mouse – as Pizza Guy, French waiter, Woman’s friend, and more – disrupts the couple’s trudge toward “happiness.” 

What struck me most about Traps was the way the threads about violence were woven together. In a world where the military mobilizes tech for warfare (or, as Man insists, “defense”), violence permeates every level: here, it’s inevitable that an AI therapist would be aggressive about Woman’s pregnancy, Man would choke Woman, and Man would kill the Mouse that Woman had been feeding. Systemic and interpersonal violence prop up one another, in the future of Traps and the world we’re in now. The absurdity, humor, and heart of the play brilliantly balanced, underscored, and interrupted that violence.

The moment that was especially stunning to me was when Woman approaches the Mouse, right after Man attacked Woman on the ground (right next to my seat, in an arresting and impactful audience-situated moment). When Woman reaches for the Mouse, for a moment I expected the violence to continue – that Woman would reenact what Man had done, using the power of her position to inflict violence on someone less powerful. But Traps finds the tenderness that disrupts violent cycles: Woman pets Mouse, in a loving and quiet moment right in the shadow of shocking violence.

As an artist, I also related to the way Woman’s vivid, dark, and sensual dreams prompt a shift in her life, leading her to hide cheese, seek out mice, and try to create something new and vibrant in her world. The power of an expansive new possibility and the way it absorbs you feels very real to me (and resonates with the Philly Fringe process, the way it becomes a thrilling and animating force for all you do). It’s devastating that, for Woman, new joy is seized upon by Man, who kills the Mouse and tries to end the reverie. Importantly, Woman’s pursuit of something bigger continues.

I deeply enjoyed this show and was poring over the ideas it raised throughout my ride home. This is the kind of show that stays with you long after it’s over. I was thrilled to be introduced to your work through Traps and can’t wait to see more!

Sincerely,

Courtney

Xora Odelle’s Traps played Sept 24th-28th at the Asian Arts Initiative. 

Courtney Taylor’s The Taylor Swift / Unabomber Play played Sept 11th-Sept 13th at the Drake.