When the Dead Speak, You Had Better Listen

Weird Fiction Review Cynthia von Buhler's Speakeasy Dollhouse by Nancy Hightower

“Remember:

Ignore the warnings your parents gave you as children. Be nosy and talk to strangers.

Wander. If you sit in one place all night you will miss everything.

If you have any questions or need assistance come and find me. I will whisper secrets in your ear.

Cheers,
Cynthia von Buhler

Send from the future.”

I received this email the day before participating in Cynthia von Buhler’s immersive play Speakeasy Dollhouse. A few days before this, I was sent emails containing real documentation from the coroner’s office, as well as newspapers clippings about the murder of Frank Spano, von Buhler’s grandfather. You don’t attend this event, you are immersed in the ongoing attempts to solve the mystery about why Spano was killed. Despite that rather dark description, Speakeasy Dollhouse is actually a festive, carnivalesque affair. I arrived at the location, which is staged in a mobster’s former Lower East Side speakeasy. Two policemen greeted me and engaged in some friendly chatter — but what they really wanted was a password to let them know I was an okay dame. I went down a dark flight of stairs, and then opened a doorway into the holodeck of Star Trek.

Seriously.

Almost everyone was dressed up — I could not differentiate the actors from the audience. The set is elaborate and every detail threw me back in time to a 1920’s speakeasy. At the bar I ordered a special cup of coffee, talked to my friends, and drank in the ambience. I couldn’t say when the play started or when it ended. I was given a part to play — that of a hired killer. I talked to mobsters, socialites, burlesque dancers, Frank’s possible lover, his pregnant wife, and his son. I had to ask the mobster Dutch Shultz where the after party was, but not let on that he would soon be murdered as well. It was a time-travel experience where I wandered in between the real and the unreal, the known and unknown. Von Buhler’s grandfather was shot and killed by John Guerrieri, but despite a confession, was let go. Von Buhler wrote about meeting the granddaughter of Guerrieri , who had no idea of this history. The more I heard, read, and relived, the further I fell into the rabbit hole of a weird narrative that invited me to participate even after the event ended. Attendees are asked to go to the Speakeasy blog to speculate on the reasons behind Spano’s killing, and these answers then add evidence to the next production.

Even more deliciously macabre, the play is modeled upon an actual set of dollhouses that von Buhler built to explore the circumstances regarding her grandfather’s murder. We can have all kinds of uncanny fun with that, of course, but understand that even this creepy little detail is part of American history. The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death, created in the 1930’s by Frances Glessner Lee, were dollhouses that detectives used to “better assess visual evidence” in the most mysterious and violent of deaths. These studies inspired von Buhler’s own grotesque recreation of events (von Buhler). Such layering of storytelling, reporting, and mythmaking is but one reason to experience this play if you live or are visiting New York City. The other is this: Imagine Edgar Allen Poe has created a speakeasy in the Enterprise’s holodeck, and you get to play in that universe for three hours, attending the most fabulous party while helping to solve a real-life crime. There you go.

Dominick Spano Invites You To His Pa's Club

Dominick Spano (my uncle) witnessed his father's murder on the street in Manhattan. This is a true story.

Dominick Spano:

“My Pa owns the best speakeasies in the whole Bronx. He’s the biggest man around. Mister door man runs the club at night, but really my Pa runs it because he knows everybody and everybody knows him, and his place is better than stupid old Dutch’s place. Mister Dutch Schulz owns a place too, but it isn’t as good as my Pa’s place. And it doesn’t have the best cannolis in the city, either-- my Ma makes those. She makes the tea and soda pop too, but I help, I’m always helping and I’m getting better and better at it, really I am. I made the last batch of tea all by myself even, and Pa says it’s real good.

If you come by the club or the bakery you can try some tea or special coffee. In the bakery the nice lady sometimes gives me coffee if I ask real polite-like, and if that bad police man isn’t looking I can snatch some candy from the jars. Nobody but the mean old police man minds. Sometimes my Uncle Frankie is down there too, playin’ cards with the boys. But my Aunt Anna always beats the boys, and she leaves messy lipstick on Uncle Frankie’s cheek.

If you go up to the club you have to know the password to get in. Mister door man only lets me in without the password, because my Pa is important and that means I’m important too, because someday I’m gonna run the whole place myself, because I’m the biggest. If you get into the club, you can hear some real good music and meet some real nice people-- some bad people too, though. Sometimes big old mister Tammany Hall man is there, his name is Jimmy Hines. He comes with his friend with a real nice top hat, Hulon Capshaw. He talks to Jimmy Hines but Jimmy don’t say much because he’s just drinking and singing Irish songs. You can dance up there too, but be careful if you see those pretty ladies Mrs. Guerrieri and her friend Lena. . . they’re friendly, but Ma thinks they dance too much. She says they should go to church and ask the Lord to forgive them. My Ma prays to Mary, the Mother of God all the time. Ma might give you a special present if you’re nice to her.

Frankie Guerrieri goes to my school. We were friends before when he lived in the Bronx. Now I hate him. I’ll tell you why if you buy me a drink. I’m old enough, promise, I just don’t want to go and bother the bartender right now. . .His Pa, Mr. Guerrieri, is one of those quiet types. He owns a barbershop and sometimes he cuts my Pa’s hair, but I don’t like him either. I think he’s got funny eyes and I don’t think he likes my Pa very much.

My Ma is pregnant with a little baby boy. I know it’s gonna be a boy because the Spanos are big and strong, and boys are big and strong. If you want, you can come see my house where my Ma and my Pa and me live, and where my little baby brother will be born.

But if you do come by (and you should, you’re such a good friend of the family and we haven’t seen you in such a long time!) you should keep your eyes and ears open. You never know what will happen around here, and I got something to tell my Ma that she isn’t gonna like very much...”

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A Gurney For Grandpa

Cynthia von Buhler and Speakeasy Dollhouse were featured in "A Gurney for Grandpa" on the Science Channel television show Oddities.

Cynthia enters the store and explains her project to Evan and Mike.

Cynthia and the actors at the speakeasy.

Evan reveals the gurney to Cynthia.
PART ONE: PART TWO:

Flavorpill Likes Speakeasy Dollhouse

Photograph from the play by Margee Challa.

“With the stunning popularity of Sleep No More, we guess it's not surprising to see more immersive theatre in the downtown NYC performing arts scene. But we were surprised to see such an ornately turned-out, unique, and well-produced experience, which stands entirely on its own. What sets Speakeasy Dollhouse apart, is that (if we take creator and director Cynthia von Buhler's word for it — and we do) it's all based on a true story: the murder of her grandfather Frank Spano, a recent Italian immigrant and a speakeasy operator in the Bronx, and the near-simultaneous birth of her mother. A rich cast of Roaring '20s gangsters and molls populate the space, as you wine and dine (on cannolis from Spano's Bakery, no less), and try to crack the as-yet unsolved mystery...”

Leah Taylor, Flavorpill

Read the review HERE.

Enough About Me, Let's Talk About You

Image from Speakeasy Dollhouse, The Bloody Beginning, ©Cynthia von Buhler, 2012
I'm Sick Of Me

As artistic creators we have to promote our projects constantly. It’s a necessary evil. Our friends, fans, and followers love to listen to us and help support our art, but wouldn’t we be more evolved if we set aside time to promote them and others too? I’m sick of me. Aren’t you a little sick of you too?

All of us are immersed in a culture of “me.” We shameless self-promoters aren’t the only guilty ones. Even people who don’t make art post pictures of themselves, their pets, or the food they eat. Through social media sites, everyone tells everyone else the intimate and mundane details of their lives-- constantly.

Bertrand Russell (British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic) explains how self-obsession leads to unhappiness in his book from 1930, The Conquest of Happiness:

Perhaps the greatest obstacle to happiness is “the disease of self-absorption.” (page 173)

Russell offers that his own conquest of happiness was due “very largely [. . . ] to a diminishing preoccupation with myself.” (page 6)

A happy person knows that “one’s ego is no very large part of the world.” (page 48)

“One of the great drawbacks to self-centered passions is that they afford so little variety in life. The man who loves only himself cannot, it is true, be accused of promiscuity in his affections, but he is bound in the end to suffer intolerable boredom from the invariable sameness of the object of his devotion.”

- These quotes from Bertrand Russell were pulled from THIS wonderful article in Psychology Today.

We all need a break from ourselves.

I have decided that from now on I will take this break on Mondays. I will no longer talk about myself in any way, shape, or form on this day. I call it “Enough About Me Mondays.” I will either talk about YOU or I will keep my mouth shut and LISTEN to you. I will attempt to do this through both social networking sites and in my own life.

In conjunction with this I am starting an ongoing salon event called “Let’s Talk About You.” Once a month I will hold an intimate gathering at Archipelago in Manhattan. One person will be chosen as the guest of honor and the rest of us will have the chance to learn more about their work. Those in attendance are encouraged to tweet and post photos, ideas, poems and thoughts throughout the salon.

Sure, Twitter has “Follow Friday,” but that has gone from a networking tool to a meaningless list. Instead, I propose that we choose people who are doing things that we love and give a little information about them: post a picture, music sample, or link. Let’s try to find people who aren’t normally promoted to talk about.

I’m going to focus on Mondays for now, but “Enough About Me” can occur anytime.

Will you join me?

If you say yes I will list you in my “Enough About Me, Let’s Talk About You” blog post with your URL and one line of text about you. Please send your URL and sentence to my assistant hannah@cynthiavonbuhler.com. Please feel free to send Hannah URLs and one liners about other projects you like, too. She will update them on the blog. Eventually, I will make a website for “Enough About Me, Let’s Talk About You.”

To begin, please post the message below and ask your friends to share and re-tweet it:

Enough About Me! I only talk about OTHERS on Mondays. Join us & be listed here: http://bit.ly/GCg3KR #EnoughAboutMeMonday or #EAMM

Members of the #EnoughAboutMeMonday Club
Cynthia von Buhler: A trip down an ornate rabbit hole filled with art, books, animals, and curiosities. @CynthVonBuhler Today we visit my Speakeasy Dollhouse. www.speakeasydollhouse.com

Jeffrey Wengrofsky: I am the Director and Producer of the Syndicate of Human Image Traffickers, where I make strange documentary films about the creative life. www.humansyndicate.com

Travis Louie: My work is about imaginary ancestry and an otherworldly immigrant experience through a backdrop set in Victorian and Edwardian eras. www.travislouieartworks.com or www.travislouie.com

Amanda White: "Rock star opera singer" Amanda White leads a double life as a classical/opera singer and frontwoman of an original rock band. www.notjustanotherprettyvoice.com

Cat Mallard: artist, curious girl. Inspired by tales and a pervasive sense of longing. @darklingwoods & www.darklingwoods.blogspot.com

Mary Layton: Artist of mythic, fantasy, faerie, and steampunky things. www.marylayton.net

Faulke Yue: Lil acoustic singer/songwriter with a deep deep voice....www.kevinjoneilmusic.com and www.reverbnation.com/kevinjoneil

Ali Luminescent: Faerie Mermaid Unicorn www.aliluminescent.com

Laurel Snyder has been talking about herself far too much for far too long. She writes books. laurelsnyder.com

Silent James: I am an illustrator of my own innocence, happily stuck in the 1920's. @SilentJamesL & www.silentjames.com

Scott Southard AKA Lord Kat: I wish everyone could have the freedom as I do to explore the world and witness the harmony of nature, science and metaphysics. twitter.com/Lord_Kat

Rita J. King: Artist, entrepreneur, adventurer, writer. www.sciencehouse.com

Stav Meishar: A performer artist who bends and blends the limits of theater, music and circus. www.stavmeishar.com

Justin Moore: A photographer without his own web site (yet). Also acting in CVB’s Speakeasy Dollhouse. flickr.com/photos/bdjsb7/collections/

Dennis Preski: A retail slave, beginner tattoo artist, and assistant the the great Cynthia von Buhler. You can find him performing at Speakeasy Dollhouse the first Saturday and Monday of every month.

Kambriel: Designer of Fantastical Clothing & Accessories for Femme Fatales & Decadent Gentlemen. www.etsy.com/shop/kambriel and www.Kambriel.com

Heather Rose: Conceptual portrait illustrator and rabbit enthusiast. heatherrosestudios.com

Edrie was raised on a farm and now plays the accordion & BRoken TOys for Walter Sickert & the ARmy of BRoken TOys @armyoftoys & armyoftoys.com

Marcy A. Currier: Artist, Intuitive, Healer, Teacher. Dedicated to transformation and awakening through Tarot, art, and engaging events. @metaMarcy21 & www.metamarcy.tumblr.com

Terese Lavallee: I'm a stay at home mom and I'm not afraid to laugh about it. tml-youllbefine.blogspot.com/

The Bewitched: Life's dark and delicious drama, the longing and the transformation, the subversive and the sublime. @thebewitched & thebewitched.bandcamp.com

Juliet Schneider: I work in various media, currently focused on animation and production design. iridiumproductions.com

Louisa Bertman: An illustrator basking naked in the world of digital storytelling, moving pictures and generated experiences. www.louisabertman.com

Heathyre Perara: I am rather Snarky and I play the Ukulele. I host the Dr Sketchy SWFL Branch, attend Tweetups across the state and have been known to sell sell Real Estate in SWFL. twitter.com/heathyre & drsketchyswfl.com

Katrina Galore AKA Katherine Bergeron: Performer/producer/dreamer/schemer of the Boston/NYC dirty-cabaret/retro-fetish/punk-burlesque/art-tart scene. @katrinagalore

Rachel Rossman: Portraits of man and beast. @rachaelrossman & www.rachaelrossman.com

Noctilucent Studios: I am an artist returning from the Realms of the Unreal. I want to show you something. noctilucentstudios.net

Black Fortress of Opium: Gothicana. @blackfortressoo & blackfortressofopium.com

Ajda: Singer of Black Fortress of Opium. @ajdatq & blackfortressofopium.com

André Blas: A non-linear nowmadic aesthete and communicator of multi-dimensional information, a content fabricator and an ambassador of ideas. My mission is to imagine, to inspire, and to bring a greater sense of cosmic harmony. @leonarduchamp & www.nablaste.tumblr.com

Aaron Lazar: [creative] @tzgani & aaronclazar.com

Donna Letterese: Illustrator, writer, and teacher who loves creating pictures that are narrative in nature. I do love to throw puns into the mix whenever possible. @drawdvl & www.drawdvl.com

Terra Friedrichs: A nerdish punksterish stagecrafted soulful anarchist artisty type. www.terrafriedrichs.com

Sarah Small: The Delirium Constructions is an ongoing body of work exploring disassociated themes and characters brought together into the same space to examine social and graphic contrasts; Small brings these ideas to life working in the mediums of photography, film, a Cappella singing, and live tableau vivant performance art. @SarahSmallTweet, Facebook & www.sarahsmall.com