A pair of submerged buildings peeks out from the lagoon behind the Museum of Science and Industry, an undeniably startling about the tableau. But Redmoon’s water-bound, site-specific show—revamped at the last minute, after New Orleans became a submerged city in chaos—is muddled by good intentions. The troupe, quite understandably, scrapped its original storyline (a whimsical tale of flood survivors) only to replace it with a vague and sluggish depiction of what might be termed rooftop camping. A couple holds forth on the peeked roof of a home: she is pregnant; he is, well, he’s just there. Across the way, a lone fellow hangs out on the eves of a filling station. The connection between these two parties is unclear. Eventually, small rafts putter on and off the lagoon, brining music and a jovial atmosphere, which is silenced soon enough when a clap of thunder (Redmoon provided) brings an abrupt end to the levity. And then the show just sort of ends—not that anyone in the audience would know it. I’m hesitant to come down too hard on this company; logistically, the production looked exceedingly complicated. But it never achieves resonance or meaning, and it makes you wonder what Redmoon originally had in mind, pre-Katrina. (Nina Metz)
