The Elevator Response Service’s theatrical interpretation of William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury(April Seventh, 1928)is less about witnessing a piece of entertainment and more about transcending a typical theater experience for something that feels closer to a work of Art. The company, under the direction of John Collins, adapts the first chapter of the hallowed modernist text told from the perspective of “idiot” Benjy by acting out every line and piece of dialogue (including “he saids” at the end of some lines) with actors of both sexes and various ethnicities playing the same roles. At times it can feel like a fetishization of a classic text, but the fact that the ensemble is able to approximate both the confusion of a mental state and the isolated act of reading on the stage is dumbfounding.
New York Theater Workshop, 79 E. 4th St. (betw. 2nd Ave. & Bowery), 212-239-6200; Tues. 7; Wed.-Sat. 8; Sun. 2 & 7, $65 (special $45 tickets Memorial Day weekend).