The magnificent Blue Man Group notwithstanding, experimental theater just isn't my thing, with De La Guarda a case in point. I finally caught up with this audience favorite a few weeks before its final flight and tolerated its not-brief-enough 70 minutes with a mix of bemusement, annoyance and, too rarely, pleasure. The opening sequence, which involves "painting" the white-sheet ceiling with fluorescent colors, water and pennies, has charm and a sense of wonder. But after that, it's all blaring music, drizzling rain, people screaming gibberish, over-crowding, and body odor. Why do I need to attend an off-Broadway show to experience things I spend most of my life trying to avoid? As for the flying cast members, energetic though they be, they're hoisted on strong cables, so the danger factor is minimal. And they lack the balletic grace or acrobatic tricks of circus performers. True, they carry four or five audience members up to the ceiling, which is thrilling -- for them. For the rest of us, what's the big deala guarda?
