The Onion Cellar at ART

Bostonist has been a fan of the Dresden Dolls for some time now, so we were quite excited when we learned of their collaboration with the ART for a play of sorts called "The Onion Cellar." We finally had a chance to see the performance this week.

The first thing you'll notice on entering the theatre is that it feels much more like attending a night club or a concert than you'd expect from the ART. Drink tickets are on sale in the lobby (we advise against the chardonnay) and in place of ushers, there are waitstaff who will take you to your table. That's right, all the theatre seating from the Zero Arrow space has been cleared away to transform the theatre into a nightclub. (It's really a pretty remarkable change, we had no idea that the space was so flexible.) The space itself is a pretty big part of the show, lending an intimacy to the performance which takes place all through the environment.

Most of the evening is dedicated to the Dolls themselves, who perform their songs (a few new, most not) while the other performers act around them. This gives the show a bit of the feeling of a music video, albeit a surprisingly cohesive and compelling one. The action itself centers around four little vignettes that pop in and out over the course of the evening, all dealing with characters who are somehow hurt or damaged by their pasts.

It's probably best to think of this as an illustrated concert, rather than a play with music. The nature of the vignettes is such that we don't get much depth from any of the characters, but it doesn't matter. Their stories are small and relatively straightforward, but they bring a lovely thread of continuity through the musical performances.

Seen as a whole, "The Onion Cellar" is beautiful and moving, largely because the pieces (music, environment, vignettes) fit together so well into a simple but powerful experience. If you don't know the Dolls, it's a great introduction to their music. If you already love them, you'll love this. But if you're not a fan, this probably won't make you one.

The Onion Cellar runs through January 13 at the Zero Arrow Theatre in Harvard Square. Tickets are $25-$50.