THINGS TO COME . . .

MIST

In his groundbreaking obra Niebla, Miguel de Unamuno gives us that apocalyptic moment when his protagonist Augusto Perez stumbles across his Lord Creator at work at his desk. No pillars of salt, no burning bushes. Just pen and Ink. I never liked the ending, so I changed it. By what right? Unamuno provides the answer himself: it is my prerogative.

--Matt Barton

Seeing and hearing something happen doesn't guarantee knowing what happened any more than knowing what happened guarantees understanding what happened. Matt Barton's "Mist," for example. The story is not complex. The characters tell you what they want you to know in language that is strict and not at all tricky. No cheap games are played to the wool over your eyes. Oh, there are games played, they're just not cheap. A good thing, because if it were walk-in-the-park simple it would be boring. And this piece of work is anything but boring. In other words, think of Matt Barton's "Mist" as a parable written by Eugene Ionesco, adapted by Gary Shandling, and directed by David Lynch. Enjoy.

--Charlie Newman