William Alex Larson, Photo by Kalen Jesse Photography
Presented by Children at Play
I saw Are You Catching What I’m Throwing? And my answer is: sort of. I was left with many questions of my own and a nagging concern for this mutely persistent, ever-thwarted, totally endearing character.
William Alex Larson’s solo show is a playful, quietly compelling blend of juggling and physical theatre. At the top, he opens a trunk and discovers a single orange ball. It seems to have a mind of its own, pulling his arm this way and that. Or is it his arm that’s possessed. Regardless, the orange ball becomes two… three… and then a bombardment!
From there, an assortment of pins and rings show up. He tries to make it a thing, with a little sandwich board sign that reads “Juggling Club.” Doesn’t catch on. He tries to find some friends, popping hats onto a variety of pins and making awkward advances. There are a few brief, happy little moments of connection. Mostly, there are plucky attempts that don’t quite take.
Throughout this series of dubious interactions, he incorporates whimsical little juggling flourishes. There’s nothing too extreme, despite the threat posed by a stage gradually cluttered with the tools of his trade. And that’s fine by me, as my anxiety level was already rather high. Juggling unnerves me in much the same way as figure skating—it’s beautiful and exhilarating yet I always worry about a sluggish reflex or misjudged angle.
Larson deliberatively sustains that tension and then releases it. He incorporates little slips and fumbles into his routine—some intentional, some not. Though it is hard to track as a cohesive story, the series of connected vignettes are engaging and resonant.
I was fully invested, which is why the work feels so achingly vulnerable and unresolved. He’s continually testing the precarious balance of the objects around him, yearning for stability and a sustained connection that always slips through his fingers. This is a quietly compelling little gem.