“Mr. Fluxus”
Written by Greg Allen and the company
Showing: Neo-Futurists, 5153 N. Ashland Ave., through Dec. 8
Tickets: $10-$15
Contact: (773) 275-5255; www.neofuturists.org

By Brian Kirst

Contributing writer

Susan Doran greets her customers at the CVS on Lincoln Avenue with a bell-like hello and buoyant smile. She scans their purchases with a confident flick of the wrist and, unknowingly, is providing them with the joy of Fluxus. Fluxus, an artistic uprising honoring the creative value of common everyday gestures and moments, is given an exuberant tribute in The Neo-Futurists’ “Mr. Fluxus.”

Fluxus, a non-movement that began in the late 1950s, honored the simple, amusing and unpretentious. It was a call for all people to consider their normal lives as artistic works. Fluxus, coined by George Maciunas, inspired many, including Yoko Ono, who created memorable pieces within its guidelines. Opponents to the practice considered it ridiculous. They felt that the seeming unrehearsed nonsensical activities of Fluxus could not be considered as important as all of the great, much contemplated works of music, theater and art.

Conceived and directed by Greg Allen, “Mr. Fluxus” is an energetic rejoicing in and enthusiastic assault upon the senses. Audience members are encouraged to smell, taste, touch, hear and, most importantly, create in a wide playground of fantastical galleries. Those who quiver at the thought of audience participation are honestly probably best off in a more traditional setting. But those looking for a true adventure and a unique theatrical experience are sure to find much enjoyment and may want to return to experience the gymnastic fervor of Neo-Futurists’ skilled performers many times over.

In the Fluxus maze, one can expect to be photographed, videotaped, and led by flashlight down a darkened corridor with signs proclaiming the merit of Maciunas’ ideas. In acknowledgement of Fluxus’ “anyone can do it” attitude, audiences create a joyful ragamuffin band in The Sound Kitchen. In other exhibits, they trade their own poems for odd prizes in a wish box and iron a Superman figure in honor of anti-traditionalist creativity.

One evening highlight is “Music for Unprepared Piano.” The audience sits mere feet away as several rhythmic performers pound out a pulsing melody with pick axes and rubber mallets on an upright piano. The energy is akin to being onstage with Pete Townsend and Roger Daltry in their guitar-shredding glory. Simple beauty is best represented as a graceful participant hangs upside down from a mounted swing and creates a portrait with her paint-drenched hair. One can also feel the flow of history by taking part in a piece inspired by Ono’s original exhibit in which audience members were encouraged to cut off pieces of her clothing. As each piece of snipped apparel falls away, the fluidity of Fluxus, one of its most important concepts, reveals itself and the audience is swept away in its simple beauty and power.

Ultimately, Allen and cast, with the brilliant assistance of inspired visual builder Erik Newman, create an evening as revelatory as the bewilderment, hope and renewed life of each new breath we take. That’s the beauty of the Neo-Futurists’ scintillating “Mr. Fluxus.”