Inheritance: A Litany
The Dance Complex, 536 Massachusetts Ave, Studio 1, Cambridge, MA
“Inheritance: A Litany” is a deeply intimate, yet universal, personal narrative, dance-opera-play, and comic drama. Inspired by Ms. Brenner’s late parents, the 51-minute work is a journey into the myriad of ways Ms. Brenner “became” her parents—inheriting her father’s wavy hair and sarcasm, her mother’s singing voice and fragile bones. The autobiographical one-woman show reveals aspects of a family’s story, as well as the nature of how we become who we are. The interdisciplinary tour-de-force also uncovers what make us each unique, complicated, and fragile human beings. “We need artists like Ms. Brenner now in this world, as she crosses genres, asks hard questions, and brings a gentleness and tenderness to her rendering of parents who were equal parts loving and exasperating, protecting and needy, known and misunderstood. We emerge emboldened, ready to create our own litanies, ready for family voices to speak.” – Cynthia Darling, All About Solo, 2019 Quote: “Inheritance: A Litany” reiterates that Janis Brenner is one of our most brilliant and engaging storytellers–blending the evocative and the provocative. She transfixes and transports us with a sublime fusion of musical,…