The Van Gogh Shogh
Written and performed by Donna Oblongata
Brooklyn Art Haus | 24 Marcy Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
July 19 & July 21, 2026
Photo Credit: Josh Yoder
There are artists whose work we admire, and then there are artists whose work quietly accompanies us through life. Vincent van Gogh has long been one of mine. His paintings have marked different chapters of my life, and his artwork has found its way into my everyday world, from a mousepad and puzzle to a pin, a lacquered reproduction, and a well-traveled tote bag. Having also visited the Van Gogh and Kröller-Müller museums in Amsterdam, I have stood before many of the paintings that continue to inspire audiences around the world. That personal connection made seeing The Van Gogh Shogh an unexpectedly moving experience.
Written and performed by Donna Oblongata, The Van Gogh Shogh imagines the Dutch master awakening in his own immersive afterlife. What begins with Van Gogh appearing as an unsuspecting food delivery courier quickly transforms into a wildly inventive theatrical experience that is part art history lesson, part clown show, part improvisational comedy, and entirely original.
Rather than simply presenting a chronology of Van Gogh's life, Oblongata invites the audience to become active participants in his artistic journey. Four volunteers are brought onstage to become his students, painting one of his famous works while learning about color, brushwork, and artistic technique. Projected images of Van Gogh's paintings surround the performance, creating a visual landscape that allows the audience to step inside his world instead of merely observing it.
For those familiar with Van Gogh's work, the production reaches beyond the paintings most often reproduced on calendars and coffee mugs. Alongside The Starry Night and Sunflowers, audiences encounter The Potato Eaters, his Self-Portraits, Café Terrace at Night, The Bedroom, The Night Café, Starry Night Over the Rhône, Wheatfield with Crows, and Almond Blossoms. The inclusion of The Potato Eaters is particularly meaningful, reminding us of the darker, earth-toned realism that defined his earlier work before his vibrant palette emerged.
One of the production's greatest achievements is its refusal to reduce Van Gogh to the familiar image of the "mad genius." Instead, Oblongata presents a deeply compassionate portrait of a man struggling with profound emotional suffering during a time when there was neither the language nor the understanding to describe what he was experiencing. The performance never asks for pity. It asks for empathy.
Oblongata's performance is remarkable in its balance of precision and spontaneity. The framework of the production is meticulously crafted, yet it leaves ample room for improvisation. Every audience brings different personalities, different reactions, and different surprises, and Oblongata responds with extraordinary generosity and quick wit. Whether navigating an unexpected comment, a hesitant volunteer, or an enthusiastic participant, she remains fully present, making each performance feel genuinely unique.
Humor is never far away. A karaoke moment, playful audience participation, and inventive callbacks to Van Gogh's life, including his infamous severed ear, generate genuine laughter without ever trivializing the artist's legacy. Even the production's climactic auction sequence cleverly asks audiences to consider what success truly means for an artist who sold almost nothing during his lifetime yet whose work now commands staggering prices.
As someone who has spent years admiring Van Gogh's paintings, I found myself thinking less about the masterpieces and more about the man who created them. Every painting hanging in a museum began as a brushstroke made by someone simply trying to make sense of the world. The Van Gogh Shogh reminds us that behind every iconic image was a human being searching for connection, purpose, and understanding.
Donna Oblongata has created something wonderfully unconventional, deeply compassionate, and joyfully interactive. It is a love letter to one of history's greatest artists, but it is also a celebration of creativity itself and the enduring relationship between artists and the audiences who continue to find pieces of themselves within the work.
If you're a Van Gogh enthusiast, this production is a delight. If you're discovering him for the first time, it offers an engaging doorway into both the paintings and the person behind them. Either way, The Van Gogh Shogh leaves you with something more valuable than an art lesson. It leaves you with a renewed appreciation for the beautiful, complicated humanity that lives behind every work of art.
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Review by Malini Singh McDonald.
Published by Theatre Beyond Broadway on July 22, 2026. All rights reserved.