The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot is hailed as one of the most important poems in literary history. Rife with satire and literary references, and constantly shifting in voice, location, and time, the poem is often difficult to follow. In The Waste Land, part of the New York International Fringe Festival, a man in a tuxedo uses a puppet and a sparse stage set to portray a montage of life within the world Eliot created in his poem.

Christopher Domig is the man in the tuxedo. Domig delivers the poem flawlessly in a focused, intense performance. He’s constantly moving around the small room. He reconfigures the furniture, jumps on top of tables and chairs, and rolls around in the sawdust covered floor in his bare feet. When Domig does pause, to make eye contact with the audience or look over our shoulders at something only he can see, he takes as much time as he needs, letting the silence settle heavily onto the darkened room.

This isn’t a literal interpretation of The Waste Land, and it’s not easy to reconcile the movements on stage with the words being spoken, but that seems deliberate and true to the poem’s opacity. In fact, we can’t wait to see what Domig is going to do next, especially how he’ll engage the puppet, which becomes his steady companion with a personality of its own.

The Waste Land is a collaboration between Christopher Domig and Daniel Domig, and is a beautiful hour of experimental theater. The acting and visuals are captivating, and it’s a treat to hear this lyrical, epic poem spoken out loud. Eliot’s poem is a central piece of English literature for good reason.