‘Psychotic but endearing’ characters

Grupo Krapp, founded in 1995 and headed by choreographers Luciana Acuna and Luis Biasotto, takes its name from Samuel Beckett’s character in the tragicomic one-act play “Krapp’s Last Tape,” in which a man reviews a record of his life. The eight-member company of dancers, actors and musicians has created its own brand of subversive movement language meant to match Beckett’s absurd vision.

“The Krapp character deals primarily with difficult themes such as violence, seduction, desire, hypocrisy and taboos,” say Acuna and Biasotto, via e-mail from Buenos Aires. “We develop physical movements and theatrical situations identifying our work with this.”

On the Highways bill, expect to see “psychotic but endearing” characters in the 2001 work “No Me Besabas?” (Weren’t You Kissing Me?), in which the everyday turns Kafkaesque. The music combines Argentine dance boleros, Cuban son and techno-house rhythms; the choreography and staging include body slamming, boxing, acrobatics, acting and dialogue. “Rio Seco” (Dry River), the other concert work, draws inspiration from family vacations. However, the directors say the piece is “anything but bucolic.”

-- Victoria Looseleaf