A&D NEWS

February 18, 2011

Holly Hughes Performs in “The Dog and Pony Show”

Written and performed by A&D Associate Professor Holly Hughes, and directed by Dan Hurlin, “The Dog and Pony Show” is playing through Feb. 27, 2011 at The Marsh, 1062 Valencia St., San Francisco.

http://www.themarsh.org

There are deep divisions among lesbians, Holly Hughes reports in the pioneer performance artist’s latest solo show. There are cat lesbians. There are dog lesbians. There are some who swing both ways. And there are the asthmatics.

Hughes leaves no doubt where she falls on the spectrum in “The Dog and Pony Show (Bring Your Own Pony),” the comically discursive show she opened Saturday at the Marsh. The pony in the title is just a typically self-deprecating reference to a cheap traveling show. The focus is on the longtime New York arts rebel’s life in Ann Arbor, Mich., with her partner, Esther Newton, and their nine dogs.

Directed by Dan Hurlin, it’s a deceptively casual ramble through seemingly disorganized observations about lesbianism, dogs, vaginas, dog shows, her personal notoriety, breeding dogs, the message of “The Wizard of Oz” (“You can survive a loveless childhood if you have the right shoes”) and trying to cuddle with your lover with so many dogs sharing your couch and bed. Hughes doesn’t connect the dots. Underlying themes gradually emerge about the ever-evolving relationships between humans and creatures wild and domesticated. Meanwhile, she rarely misses a chance to poke a sacred cow, clearly relishing the gasps induced by the word “bitch” in its proper context.

Clever slides and videos by Kate Bornstein punctuate the tale, featuring such notables as Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas (with dog) morphing into Hughes’ family, singer Phranc and the Obamas (the “first dog” interview).

A video of dog owners checking out a competition course is a particular delight. And when Hughes’ musings end up at the question of which species domesticated which, a human-dog dance duet video adds a brilliant postscript.

-Robert Hurwitt, the San Francisco Chronicle