As part of Art.Party.Theater.Company’s new production, Starbox, a gift-wrapped cell is currently sitting in Bryant Park on a red carpet claiming to have a very famous person inside it. If you wait on line and get past “agents†and “reporters,†you can go inside and have some Abramovic-style private time with — well, who could it be? Some speculated Beyoncé or even James Franco. Think of all the pent-up things you have to say to those people! A private “Single Ladies†dance could be yours. Or, hey, even a little make-out session if you’re lucky. We were pumped. But — ugh, of course — it’s a scam! Well, a scam for the sake of art:
Spioler alert: The stars in “Starbox,†an empty box lined with bubble wrap and containing a mirror, are not just the actors interspersed with the crowd but the audience itself. And the crowd, as a whole, seemed to welcome the recognition; everyone questioned while leaving the box honored the non-disclosure agreements.
Well, not the Times apparently. Anyway, this is actually a giant, artistic way of saying “Stars: They’re just like us!� Hmmm. Still kind of cool, then. But where’s James Franco?!
’Celebrity Is Hidden, but the Atmosphere Is on Display’ [ArtsBeat/NYT]