Grapefruit: A minimalist Carnival

“Grapefruit is subtitled “a minimalist carnival,” which at first seems an oxymoron. Yet this production is both bountiful and stripped-down, a low-tech amusement arcade filled with curious things to see and do, through which the audience rambles like so many Alices confronted with a postmodern Wonderland. The Hidden Theatre has “responded” to Yoko Ono’s recipes for kinetic interactive art projects by executing a remarkable 56 of them, adding their own whimsical touches. There is no denying the exhilaration of being drawn into this kind of naive, non-goal-oriented exploration. (Even therapy groups have moved away from what are now derided as “touchy-feely” activities toward more cerebral–and passive–exercises. Not surprisingly, one of the Hidden Theatre ensemble members is a former psychotherapist.) The performers make every effort to include the spectators–but the bashful are never forced into the spotlight nor the enthusiastic into the shadows, as they are in many other audience-participation shows” – Mary Shen Barnidge, Chicago Reader 8/92