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Lucent Dossier

By: Louis Elfman
November 8, 2008

Los Angeles is often the epicenter of trends, and if my eyes are to be believed, we may just be birthing another.

On Halloween, I had the good fortune to be invited to The Edison (currently, the place to be in our city of quartz) and was witness to the most engaging of acts: Lucent Dossier. Billing themselves as a “vaudeville cirque,” the troupe has been in residency at The Edison for a good part of the year, and their longevity in such a volatile environment as a trendy Los Angeles night spot is a testament to their talent.

With an obvious nod to Cirque du Soleil, Lucent Dossier is a modern-day incarnation of a vaudevillian troupe, performing short (and highly stylized) acts combining dance, acrobatics, and humor. And let’s not forget their style: a unique blend of early century, a dash of Vegas, a healthy dose of Brecht and Murnau, and maybe just a smidgen of post-apocalyptic tearing of the clothes… Of course, the whole thing was only enhanced by The Edison’s dramatic decor — housed in Los Angeles’s first power plant and rife with jutting pipes, turbines, gears, and diodes.

The performances are also noteworthy because they’ve freed themselves from the tether of the stage. While there is a central platform in the venue, the majority of acts (from rope and cage dances to skits and impromptu dances) were conducted in the thick of the crowd. At any given moment, someone might sneak next to you and surprise you with an impromptu show like an apparition materializing before you.

True to its vaudeville roots, the night was fueled by absinthe, carted along in a wonderfully styled cart and sold in beakers, tubes, and decorative bottles.

Having toured halfway around the world and back, chances are high that this magical troupe will be headed to a metropolis near you, and I would greatly encourage you to spend the evening with them. For the most up-to-date tour information, as well as all sorts of useful info, check out their website.

All photos courtesy of Aaron Geiser (except for the last two, by Emberly Modine)