Paul McCarthy is one of the most influential US-American artists of his generation; his works include sculptures, videos, drawings and paintings as well as installations that became icons of modernity.
His videos and expansive installations have always had an affinity to structural elements of the theatre.
Now, Paul McCarthy in collaboration with his son Damon will for the first time present their work in a theatre from mid-September until the end of the month (12 - 27 September).
"Rebel Dabble Babble", a vast and complex installation work, was previously shown in Los Angeles and New York in a gallery parking lot and street space (2012 / 2013).
In the theatrical space the show uses in Berlin’s Volksbühne new meanings and fresh interpretations will present themselves.
The work is based on Nicholas Ray’s classic film "Rebel Without a Cause" (1955) and the rumours buzzing around the off-set relationships between the stars James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo and their director Nick Ray.
REBEL DABBLE BABBLE BERLIN is some kind of meditation on archetypes and oedipal tensions that define family dynamics in private settings, in the history of art or in the entertainment industry, which shape both our expectations and self-concepts.
- Inverted Hollywood Sign -
Clamor, yelling and coital grunting...
This barrage of sound envelops two large stage sets installed in the soaring space. One of these is a full-scale two-story house constructed by the McCarthys as a stand-in for Nicholas Ray’s now infamous Bungalow 2 at the almost equally infamous Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, Los Angeles.
It was in this Bungalow where the filming took place - conversations, text explorations, rehearsals and much more… For James Dean and the 16-year old Wood, both of whom hailed from unhappy families, Ray’s cottage became a surrogate household with the director as its unconventional patriarch. Rumors abound of quasi-incestuous affairs between Ray and his actors, of swimming pool orgies and champagne bathtub freak-outs.
The second stage set is a replica of the living room in the home of Jim Stark, the central character played by James Dean in the original ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ (one of his few roles), and by James Franco (who plays Dean) in REBEL BABBLE DABBLE BERLIN.
Video projections of scenes are presented on and around these sets. In those projections, Paul McCarthy and his actors play hybrids of both Nick Ray’s cinematic characters and the actors who performed as those characters, and segue into universal familial roles – father, mother, daughter, and son.
Thus McCarthy plays both Nick Ray and the father of Jim Stark, as well as the archetype of Father; James Franco is both Jim and James Dean; Elyse Poppers is Judy and the actress who portrayed her, Natalie Wood, as well as the embodiment of Daughter. Jay Yi appears as both Plato and Sal Mineo, the actor who played Plato in the original movie. And Suzan Averitt performs as the mothers of both Jim Stark and Natalie Wood.
With its mind-bending series of doubles, binaries, and inversions, REBEL BABBLE DABBLE BERLIN presents perversions of interchangeable roles and fetish relationships. In the process, it investigates parallel icons in the history of art – from Duchamp’s ‘Nude Descending a Staircase’ (1912) to Vito Acconci’s infamous performances – and plays with the psychology of the family.
The work reflects McCarthy’s engagement with the fantastical tropes of fairy tales, modern 20th century film genres and pop cultural mythologies, which he uses to explore unusual, alternative interpretations of seemingly familiar stuff. He focuses on the social interaction of the sexes levelling harsh criticism at our mediatized reality and consumer culture. McCarthy uses the methods of the Hollywood dream factory to redefine and reconfigure reality revealing traumata that are concealed behind the shining surface of (not just) American dreams. Allusive references to classical icons of martyrdom, the graphic entertainment of the Grand Guignol theatre and sexually charged Vaudeville shows abound...
This presentation at the Volksbühne Berlin has a direct bearing to the aesthetic practice and thematic threads of the house’s principal directors who have influenced an entire generation of young directors and artists.
Extra: Paul McCarthy, James Franco, Elyse Poppers, Jay Yi, Susan Averitt
Director: Paul McCarthy, Damon McCarthy
Und: Kathrin Angerer, Maximilian Brauer, Lilith Stangenberg und Bernhard Schütz
Dramaturgie: Henning Nass
Die Veranstaltung ist für Zuschauer unter 18 Jahren nicht geeignet.
Der Schinkel Pavillon e.V. zeigt ab dem 12. September weitere Arbeiten Paul McCarthys.
Eröffnung: 11. September, 18.00 - 21.00 Uhr
Gefördert durch die Kulturstiftung des Bundes
