When Taylor Mac performed at Yale's No Boundaries theater series, he discovered that he indeed has boundaries. But during his performance at the Curran Theatre, Mac still wanted to honor those with boundaries beyond his own. "Please bring down the Cocoa Puffs," he signals to a stagehand as a box of the breakfast cereal descends from the battens. It is joined by a tub of KFC and a device, judging from a story that preceded it, that might be used to give milk enemas. Describing how these ingredients were used by other performance artists, Mac assures us that no drumsticks will travel a peculiar anatomical route into the audience tonight.
That this anecdote is part of A 24-Decade History of American Music, specifically the years between 1796 and 1806, might seem out of place. But Mac's epic project that will culminate later this year with a 24-hour performance of all the decades is a history lesson of a different sort. Through decade-appropriate songs, dialogue that puts them into contexts not found in any history books, and unexpected variations on audience participation, Mac's subversive agenda of bypassing storybook versions of our past can make relevant a box of Cocoa Puffs even in the 18th century.
Mac is appearing at the Curran as part of its Under Construction series, with both performers and audiences on the stage together. But Mac makes creative use of the vast empty theater we are facing, at first making his initial appearance from the front row of the mezzanine as he sings "Amazing Grace." When Mac finally makes his way to the stage in one of Machine Dazzle's festooned costumes, he explains that we are about to see the first three decades from the eventual 24-hour show. It's three hours long, no intermission, and if you've got to go the bathroom, just go.
The show suggests a well-rehearsed framework with latitude for minor mishaps and spontaneous adjustments. While Mac occasionally describes the enormity of the finished extravaganza, what's on stage here is already pretty impressive. Mac is backed by a 10-piece orchestra, an eight-member choir, and his busy costumer, plus help from a dozen "Dandy Minions" who are frequently passing out such items as cans of beer, Ping Pong balls, apples, and bits of costumes for regularly occurring audience participation.
But mostly it's about the music, and Mac wants us to see how different eras' songs both reflect their times but can also provide an unintended commentary on them. "Johnny's So Long at the Fair," which he variously performs in styles from dainty to Afro-beat, develops into an extended tale of cheating men and oppressed women. Many of the songs will likely be unfamiliar to audiences, and Mac performs them in retrofitted arrangements or with sincerity behind the original intentions. His rendition of "Shenandoah" is heartbreaking even as it comes after an anecdote that involves pierogis in places they shouldn't be.
A 24-Decade History of American Music continued at the Curran Theatre with songs from 1806-1836 on Jan. 26-27, with a marathon performance of both segments on Jan. 30. Tickets are $50-$75. Go to sfcurran.com.