SALT LAKE CITY — RI/FT is a one-person show created and performed by Mark Macey and produced by performance research and production group, Suckerpunch. This production is a daring work of art, as Macey invites the audience members to participate in the story line.
Show closes August 11, 2019.
Macey began by setting up the stage, telling the audience he was going to leave and turn off the lights, and when he came back he would be a different person. Macey was friendly to each audience member, so it was fun to go along with his requests. Macey told the story of a beautiful city of people who had dreams and goals and ambitions, and how another place (not-a-city) was created to make it so everyone would be taken care of, but where the selfish people couldn’t live. Therefore, those with dreams were found and killed. Macey even asked an audience member to act out the firing squad with a marshmallow gun. Then Macey shares how a couple in love escaped and found a safe wood to settle in. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as safe as they hoped.
Macey told the story in a genuine way, as if he was pulling everything out of his memory and trying to make it easy to understand. He added songs to his show, playing his guitar and even teaching the audience a song. It was fun to be a part of the show, and the play was more all the more impactful for having been in it. Macey’s use of lighting was also fun, as he had one lantern and one flashlight that he switched between to show different aspects of the story. At one point in the show, he even asked someone in the audience to provide the light from their phone for a scene.
This fun and innovative one-person show brought some important truths to light about control, dreaming, love, and losing love. The immersive show is a show to participate in and to cherish.
