"800 Words: The Transmigration of Philip K. Dick" wades into the arcane mind of the often misunderstood science fiction writer as he struggles to live through his last days, his experience with meeting God, and the transformation of one of his novels into the film Bladerunner."
Let it be said, "800 Words" is a play about ideas, just as Philip K. Dick was a lover, transcriptor of psychedelic, scientific and religious epiphanies. That being said, the play moves in an out through episodes of Dick's life to dissertations on theology and art to the fragile strings of his psychology, where even time is anything but linear. That being said, the play has a tendency to ramble and repeat with the actors going along for the ride rather than creating new explorations of some scenes that are ultimately the same.
Philip K. Dick is played by John Gresh who brings the complex character into the most human light imaginable. The "SF" writer is affluent in language and affable in demeanor. You instantly want to share one of his beers and listen to Linda Ronstadt with him, making all his triumphs and failures all the more personal. Also another high point of the show, Tony Bingham as Stan Lem, a Polish, Marxist book publisher and Secret Agent Man brings an amazing mix of comic timing, energy and physical prowess to his quick-switching roles.
Pittsburgh up-and-comer Lily Davis plays several female roles and makes a lot of what could be seen as simply "jail bait" characters like Philip's underage grug supplier and a Marxist "incentive" named Gertrude. Likewise, Diana Ifft brings a lot in one of the play's most random tangents, although the entire scene could be cut from the piece with little or no reprecussions.
There are some problems with the show. The video aspects of the show are dismal to say the least, with random words flying by - mostly illegibly - and a "VIDEO" projection box in the right hand corner popping up on set. Similarly, there is lack of sound design (which is very different from just playing a song as background music) leaves some scenes feeling empty and oddly quiet, and puppetry of the piece is sloppy at many points - including some puppets being left dead onstage with their insides poking out.
Despite the unimpressive technical aspects of the show, there are a hundred reason to see Caravan's Theatre latest work. Lovers of Philip's work will be delighted with the piece, and noy-yet-fans will definately leave inspired to pick up one of his 44 novels or 121 short stories. Open-minded audiences will also be treated to a theatrical experience that asks dynamic questions of which the only answer is, there are more questions.
Tickets for "800 Words: The Transmigration of Philip K. Dick" can be purchased here: http://caravantheatreofpittsburgh.com/Caravan_Theatre_of_Pittsburgh/Welcome.html
-The Eponymous Theatre Critic is alone on a smoldering planet surrounded by nothing but stacks and stacks of books and a single broken pair of glasses at Epony's feet.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
"Riders to the Sea" and "Lizbeth" from Microscopic Opera Company
"Riders to the Sea" follows a small Irish family on the night the last man of their family, as all the men before him, dies at seas. "Lizabeth" is an operatic exploration into the life and motivations of Lizzie Bordon, the infamous 19th century woman who allegedly killed off her father and stepmother with an ax.
It is completely possible that the general confusion of the audience at "Riders to the Sea" may be coloring this section of the review. But, let it be known, the Irish one-act that starts off the evening is actually shown in two ways. The first half is the non-musical play by J.M. Synge, and, immediately after, the actresses of the piece switch roles, and the operatic version by Ralph Vaughan Williams begins.
While it is interesting to see the two version put side by side, and even more exciting to see a company willing to take the risk, the two versions are a) virtually identical in terms of lines and b) virtually identical in forms of staging. The effect, instead of having one piece illuminate the other's, or show different aspects of certain revelations, is more watching one show and then watching it again, this time with music.
However, while the concept and staging seems a bit off, the performances by the various leads stand strong. Laurie Klatscher, Tressa Glover and Brandi Welle deliver an honest portrayal of women who have lost everything only to find the cliff where they can push off more. While Mary Beth Sederburg, Gail Novak Mosites and Leah Edmondson Dyer sing their way through the journey with grace and amazing voices.
However, the real meat of the night comes in the second act with the short opera "Lizabeth". While "Rider's to the Sea" features no suprises or changes between the two version, "Lizabeth" shows off the staging prowess of director Gregory Lehane. "Lizabeth" shows not only the murderess Lizzie, but her elder and younger version, showing all sides of her split psyche at once.
Anna Signer as Lizabeth, the eldest, is refined, friendly and creepily engaging as a woman who has spent the majority of her life trying to escape her own name. Is she caught in a web of self-delusion? Dementia? Is she using one to cope with the other? Jillian K. Marini as Young Lizzie captures the stubborn face and physical body of Lizzie's young, frustrated side. And, rounding out the gruesome trifecta, Erica Olden plays the Lizzie that is pushed to the brink as a woman, due to stress and affection that has always been just out of reach, finally breaks.
As always, the live orchestra of Microscopic is a perfect addition to the evening, never overpowering of the actors and beautifully underscoring both selections with melodies that uplift or haunt you long after the show is over. Again, Microscopic Opera provides a night of theatre that is unique and bloody good.
Tickets to "Riders to teh Sea & Lizabeth" can be purchsed here: http://microscopicopera.org/Home.html
- The Eponymous Theatre critic enjoys lambasting* with olive oil and oregano.
*Editor Correction: I believe the term is "Lamb Basting". If you want people to know you're a chef, just write it.
It is completely possible that the general confusion of the audience at "Riders to the Sea" may be coloring this section of the review. But, let it be known, the Irish one-act that starts off the evening is actually shown in two ways. The first half is the non-musical play by J.M. Synge, and, immediately after, the actresses of the piece switch roles, and the operatic version by Ralph Vaughan Williams begins.
While it is interesting to see the two version put side by side, and even more exciting to see a company willing to take the risk, the two versions are a) virtually identical in terms of lines and b) virtually identical in forms of staging. The effect, instead of having one piece illuminate the other's, or show different aspects of certain revelations, is more watching one show and then watching it again, this time with music.
However, while the concept and staging seems a bit off, the performances by the various leads stand strong. Laurie Klatscher, Tressa Glover and Brandi Welle deliver an honest portrayal of women who have lost everything only to find the cliff where they can push off more. While Mary Beth Sederburg, Gail Novak Mosites and Leah Edmondson Dyer sing their way through the journey with grace and amazing voices.
However, the real meat of the night comes in the second act with the short opera "Lizabeth". While "Rider's to the Sea" features no suprises or changes between the two version, "Lizabeth" shows off the staging prowess of director Gregory Lehane. "Lizabeth" shows not only the murderess Lizzie, but her elder and younger version, showing all sides of her split psyche at once.
Anna Signer as Lizabeth, the eldest, is refined, friendly and creepily engaging as a woman who has spent the majority of her life trying to escape her own name. Is she caught in a web of self-delusion? Dementia? Is she using one to cope with the other? Jillian K. Marini as Young Lizzie captures the stubborn face and physical body of Lizzie's young, frustrated side. And, rounding out the gruesome trifecta, Erica Olden plays the Lizzie that is pushed to the brink as a woman, due to stress and affection that has always been just out of reach, finally breaks.
As always, the live orchestra of Microscopic is a perfect addition to the evening, never overpowering of the actors and beautifully underscoring both selections with melodies that uplift or haunt you long after the show is over. Again, Microscopic Opera provides a night of theatre that is unique and bloody good.
Tickets to "Riders to teh Sea & Lizabeth" can be purchsed here: http://microscopicopera.org/Home.html
- The Eponymous Theatre critic enjoys lambasting* with olive oil and oregano.
*Editor Correction: I believe the term is "Lamb Basting". If you want people to know you're a chef, just write it.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
"Ivanov" from Pittsburgh Irish & Classical Theatre (PICT)
"Ivanov", one of masterful Russian playwright Anton Chekov's early works, catches the titular middle-aged character as he tries to wade through his midlife crisis with a wife dying of tuberculosis, a farm rapidly falling into bankruptcy and himself being the key subject of gossip in a comedy only a Russian could write.
While most American adaptations of Chekov are given the death-wish description of "boring" the production of "Ivanov" currently running as part of PICT's "Chekov Festival" plays with all the verbal fast-paced wit of a Noel Coward play with all the heady melancholy of Hamlet. This achievement is largely due to the expert hand of director Andrew S. Paul, who stages the piece as farcefully as possible, and succeeds.
Truth be told, the supposrting characters steal the show. Alan Stanford as Count Shabelsky is a great commanding presence coupled with a downright graceful command of the language. If the play was named for the character with the most work done, it could very well be called "Lebedev", played by Martin Giles. Giles creates a blustering, put-upon father figure and friend that shakes with hilarious comic tension. While young talent Katya Stepanov gives a great performance as Sasha, the "other woman" who is more young and naive than malicious. Stepanov gives the veteran actors, or even a stage full of actors, a brash, brave challege to overcome.
That being said, Ivanov himself, played by David Whalen is a bit of a quandry. While it's probably silly to expect that every character in a Russian comedy be funny, Whalen's Ivanov all but sucks the comedy out of the room every time he appears. His anger isn't fun, but scary. His sadness isn't convincing, but wallowing. And, seeing someone throwing themself a two-hour pity party doesn't inspire empathy, but more annoyance.
Granted, "Ivanov" is a bit of a crapshoot for an actor. We see the character talking more than actually doing anything. But, one of the good things about the ambiguity of "Ivanov" is that it leaves a lot of room for strong choices. Is Ivanov a master manipulator who started believing his own lies (as the townspeople say)? Is he a great man who really is misunderstood (As Sasha says)? Is he too stupid or self righteous or bumbling to be either (As various others say)? Any interpretation would be acceptable, and hilarious.
And maybe that is why the character of Ivanov in PICT's production falls flat, he's not enough of any. Fortunately though, the rest of the play moves with witty banter, hilarious characters and enough "comedy-of-manners" type situations to suit any comic needs. If you have never seen a Chekov play, or still need convincing as to their entertainment value, the "Ivanov" at PICT should not be missed.
Tickets for PICT's production of "Ivanov" can be purchased here:
https://picttheatre.secure.force.com/ticket/
-The Eponymous Theatre Critic, like most theatre critics, can be found staying up too late and drinking far too much. But, eight glasses a day takes some doing if you have to squeeze them in all before midnight.
While most American adaptations of Chekov are given the death-wish description of "boring" the production of "Ivanov" currently running as part of PICT's "Chekov Festival" plays with all the verbal fast-paced wit of a Noel Coward play with all the heady melancholy of Hamlet. This achievement is largely due to the expert hand of director Andrew S. Paul, who stages the piece as farcefully as possible, and succeeds.
Truth be told, the supposrting characters steal the show. Alan Stanford as Count Shabelsky is a great commanding presence coupled with a downright graceful command of the language. If the play was named for the character with the most work done, it could very well be called "Lebedev", played by Martin Giles. Giles creates a blustering, put-upon father figure and friend that shakes with hilarious comic tension. While young talent Katya Stepanov gives a great performance as Sasha, the "other woman" who is more young and naive than malicious. Stepanov gives the veteran actors, or even a stage full of actors, a brash, brave challege to overcome.
That being said, Ivanov himself, played by David Whalen is a bit of a quandry. While it's probably silly to expect that every character in a Russian comedy be funny, Whalen's Ivanov all but sucks the comedy out of the room every time he appears. His anger isn't fun, but scary. His sadness isn't convincing, but wallowing. And, seeing someone throwing themself a two-hour pity party doesn't inspire empathy, but more annoyance.
Granted, "Ivanov" is a bit of a crapshoot for an actor. We see the character talking more than actually doing anything. But, one of the good things about the ambiguity of "Ivanov" is that it leaves a lot of room for strong choices. Is Ivanov a master manipulator who started believing his own lies (as the townspeople say)? Is he a great man who really is misunderstood (As Sasha says)? Is he too stupid or self righteous or bumbling to be either (As various others say)? Any interpretation would be acceptable, and hilarious.
And maybe that is why the character of Ivanov in PICT's production falls flat, he's not enough of any. Fortunately though, the rest of the play moves with witty banter, hilarious characters and enough "comedy-of-manners" type situations to suit any comic needs. If you have never seen a Chekov play, or still need convincing as to their entertainment value, the "Ivanov" at PICT should not be missed.
Tickets for PICT's production of "Ivanov" can be purchased here:
https://picttheatre.secure.force.com/ticket/
-The Eponymous Theatre Critic, like most theatre critics, can be found staying up too late and drinking far too much. But, eight glasses a day takes some doing if you have to squeeze them in all before midnight.
Monday, July 30, 2012
"Henry V" by Bakerloo Theatre Project
"Henry V" is one of Shakespeare's most performed history plays. It chronicles the war led by the formerly-infamous playboy Henry "Harry" the Fifth to regain the crown of France and follows the growth of Harry into manhood.
To call the recently-closed production of the Bakerloo Theatre Project "Henry V" is a bit of a stretch. The play is cut down to a two-hour show where the scenes seem to have been chosen fro either a) comedy or b) infamy. All the funny scenes are present, and all the famous speeches included, meaning Bakerloo has created an almost "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern" style show where Henry V himself is almost an afterthought.
Certainly the best performances from the ensemble cast come in the descriptive monologues - often cut from modern productions - where Shakespeare invokes the audience to imagine the locations and create the scenes of horses, pomp, war, etc. The cast shows a remarkable and beautiful connection to the language and, in these moments of directly connecting to the audience - in fact, whenever the gifted cast is given a large monologue to revel in - succeed where other points of the show fall flat.
The ensemble cast consists of Lauren Diesch, Parag S. Gohel, Brittany Proia, Jake Staley, Aaron Jefferson Tindall and Joseph McGranaghan as Henry V.
In chopping the play apart, or showing only the "greatest hits" of Henry V - in its original form a five-act all-night affair - director William Addis upsets the emotional journey of the play without providing a new outlook or constructing the play to make it something new.
It's not so much that the audience doesn't know where in the geography of Europe they are, but where we are supposed to be emotionally in the story. We barely saw Harry in the first act, why should we care about him in the second? What is Harry's journey if his second-act persona is equal to the first? These funny characters in the first act, where are they in the second? Why were we shown them at all?
The production also lends itself a certain un-earned pomp. The traveling memorial "Eyes Wide Open" (see picture) is channeled in the opening and closing moments of the play. But, within the performance, the horrors of war are kept remarkably...light?
We see funny soldiers -sometimes nervous- but not horrified or shell-shocked. A dialogue where a captain irefuses to speak up for a soldier about to be hanged is done in a comical lisp and pleasant demeanor. The production ends with a happy, hopeful marriage arrangement between the love-sick Harry and the charmed princess Katherine of France, and then everyone begins to remove their shoes and line them up.
There is a true disconnect between what actually happens on the stage and the storyline that was pieced together. Similarly, in a production where everyone dresses in fatigues and Iraq memorials are discussed in the program, there were no battles, no choreography and no use of sound. The entire production was less than bare-bones with no set and barely any props. The entirety could move to a field and be performed largely unchanged.
And the sin in all this is, rather than use the absence of things to make inpirational, relevatory choices that illustrate better than physical objects ever could, the production simply chooses to ignore them, leaving us with a disjointed, slow-moving, almost stream-of-conciousness "Henry V".
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic can be found using words aren's used in High Society - outside of a kennel.
To call the recently-closed production of the Bakerloo Theatre Project "Henry V" is a bit of a stretch. The play is cut down to a two-hour show where the scenes seem to have been chosen fro either a) comedy or b) infamy. All the funny scenes are present, and all the famous speeches included, meaning Bakerloo has created an almost "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern" style show where Henry V himself is almost an afterthought.
Certainly the best performances from the ensemble cast come in the descriptive monologues - often cut from modern productions - where Shakespeare invokes the audience to imagine the locations and create the scenes of horses, pomp, war, etc. The cast shows a remarkable and beautiful connection to the language and, in these moments of directly connecting to the audience - in fact, whenever the gifted cast is given a large monologue to revel in - succeed where other points of the show fall flat.
The ensemble cast consists of Lauren Diesch, Parag S. Gohel, Brittany Proia, Jake Staley, Aaron Jefferson Tindall and Joseph McGranaghan as Henry V.
In chopping the play apart, or showing only the "greatest hits" of Henry V - in its original form a five-act all-night affair - director William Addis upsets the emotional journey of the play without providing a new outlook or constructing the play to make it something new.
It's not so much that the audience doesn't know where in the geography of Europe they are, but where we are supposed to be emotionally in the story. We barely saw Harry in the first act, why should we care about him in the second? What is Harry's journey if his second-act persona is equal to the first? These funny characters in the first act, where are they in the second? Why were we shown them at all?
The production also lends itself a certain un-earned pomp. The traveling memorial "Eyes Wide Open" (see picture) is channeled in the opening and closing moments of the play. But, within the performance, the horrors of war are kept remarkably...light?
We see funny soldiers -sometimes nervous- but not horrified or shell-shocked. A dialogue where a captain irefuses to speak up for a soldier about to be hanged is done in a comical lisp and pleasant demeanor. The production ends with a happy, hopeful marriage arrangement between the love-sick Harry and the charmed princess Katherine of France, and then everyone begins to remove their shoes and line them up.
There is a true disconnect between what actually happens on the stage and the storyline that was pieced together. Similarly, in a production where everyone dresses in fatigues and Iraq memorials are discussed in the program, there were no battles, no choreography and no use of sound. The entire production was less than bare-bones with no set and barely any props. The entirety could move to a field and be performed largely unchanged.
And the sin in all this is, rather than use the absence of things to make inpirational, relevatory choices that illustrate better than physical objects ever could, the production simply chooses to ignore them, leaving us with a disjointed, slow-moving, almost stream-of-conciousness "Henry V".
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic can be found using words aren's used in High Society - outside of a kennel.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
"Candida" from Bakerloo Theatre Project
"Candida" by George Bernard Shaw is a love triangle dramady set between a Socialist preacher, his upstanding wife Candida and a young poet who thinks he has what Candida truly needs to be happy.
Bakerloo is a new theatre company in town. Recently transplanted from NYC, the company seeks to bring young artists (of all types) from across the country to re-interpret classic works. Their inaugural season consists of "Henry V" and "Candida" and is currently being housed at Future Tenant. They offer free tickets to any middle-school or high school students.
There is a great sense of ensemble and comic timing in the cast. The genius of the performers comes acorss in the little intricacies and movements that everyone involves in whether they are the focus of the scene or not.
In particular, Parag S. Gohel as the young poet with a nervous conidition but a love-lorn heart, Eugene Marchbanks. It is wonderful to see an actor inhabit the language, emotions and physical body of a character. Gohel's Eugene is a sweating, somewhat blubbering near-adolescent who somehow manages to completely threaten and disturb Candida's husband (played by Jake Staley...who looks a dead-ringer for a reincarnated Anton Chekov). And, what's more, the audience believes this physically weak specimen when he does it.
Similarly, Lauren Diesch , provides a precise portrayal as the put-upon secretary Proserphine Garnett. The character is professional and pointed in her language and restrained in her actions and Diesch succeeds in giving the character a whole body as well as rich inner fantasy life we know exists but the character never gives voice to.
The titular role, played by Brittany Proia, is either fully revealed to us or fully realised in the play's final scene, but for the most part Candida herself seems to walk on a cloud. Whether this is because she has two men constantly referring to her as "angel" or because Candida is trying to purposefully stay above it all is up for debate, but it might do well for her to come down and let herself be seduced a bit.
The play on the whole takes awhile to get rolling, but builds to an intimate, honest exploration of marriage, need and purpose in life. Although maybe it is that the world of the play has a little trouble finding itself. The opening moments involve characters reading Shaw's detailed stage directions from a prompt book about other characters, a convention that disappears and the play proceeds as typical plays do. And two randomly choreographed scene changes to top 40 hits are amusing but seems misplaced and a bit distracting (if not obvious).
However, the play moves. The two-hour show glides by with lots of laughs and, if the worst criticism involves the questioning of a dance sequence with overcoats, then Bakerloo is on a great start to asserting themselves in the Pittsburgh community.
"Candida" closes tonight 7/28/2012, but tickets for Bakerloo's "Henry V" can be purchased here:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/254839
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic has been on a government-induced hiatus. It seems there is a limit on how many times one can use the word "avocado" before having to pay the piper...
Bakerloo is a new theatre company in town. Recently transplanted from NYC, the company seeks to bring young artists (of all types) from across the country to re-interpret classic works. Their inaugural season consists of "Henry V" and "Candida" and is currently being housed at Future Tenant. They offer free tickets to any middle-school or high school students.
There is a great sense of ensemble and comic timing in the cast. The genius of the performers comes acorss in the little intricacies and movements that everyone involves in whether they are the focus of the scene or not.
In particular, Parag S. Gohel as the young poet with a nervous conidition but a love-lorn heart, Eugene Marchbanks. It is wonderful to see an actor inhabit the language, emotions and physical body of a character. Gohel's Eugene is a sweating, somewhat blubbering near-adolescent who somehow manages to completely threaten and disturb Candida's husband (played by Jake Staley...who looks a dead-ringer for a reincarnated Anton Chekov). And, what's more, the audience believes this physically weak specimen when he does it.
Similarly, Lauren Diesch , provides a precise portrayal as the put-upon secretary Proserphine Garnett. The character is professional and pointed in her language and restrained in her actions and Diesch succeeds in giving the character a whole body as well as rich inner fantasy life we know exists but the character never gives voice to.
The titular role, played by Brittany Proia, is either fully revealed to us or fully realised in the play's final scene, but for the most part Candida herself seems to walk on a cloud. Whether this is because she has two men constantly referring to her as "angel" or because Candida is trying to purposefully stay above it all is up for debate, but it might do well for her to come down and let herself be seduced a bit.
The play on the whole takes awhile to get rolling, but builds to an intimate, honest exploration of marriage, need and purpose in life. Although maybe it is that the world of the play has a little trouble finding itself. The opening moments involve characters reading Shaw's detailed stage directions from a prompt book about other characters, a convention that disappears and the play proceeds as typical plays do. And two randomly choreographed scene changes to top 40 hits are amusing but seems misplaced and a bit distracting (if not obvious).
However, the play moves. The two-hour show glides by with lots of laughs and, if the worst criticism involves the questioning of a dance sequence with overcoats, then Bakerloo is on a great start to asserting themselves in the Pittsburgh community.
"Candida" closes tonight 7/28/2012, but tickets for Bakerloo's "Henry V" can be purchased here:
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/254839
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic has been on a government-induced hiatus. It seems there is a limit on how many times one can use the word "avocado" before having to pay the piper...
Thursday, May 31, 2012
"Private Lives" from Pittsburgh Public Theatre
"Private Lives" is the quintessential Noel Coward romp through "only hurt the one you love" antics set in high-society mannerisms. Amanda and Elyot, divorced, end up in the same hotel in adjacent rooms with their new spouses, Victor and Sibyl (respectively). Upon seeing one another again, Amanda and Elyot realize they are still very much in love...or in "love to hate".
As always, the Pittsburgh Public turns out a fantastic team of acting professionals. There's a lot of zany antics in "Private Lives", and the result threatens to de-rail at any moment. But, even when they're chasing each other around the room hurling furniture decor, the cast's performance is clean and precise. It makes the comedy, largely a show of clever one-liners, all the more funnier for their skill.
Michael Brusasco (Elyot Chase) and Victoria Mack (Amanda Prynne) 's pairing turns out to be the basically amoral and ultimately selfish couple. However, the performers are so adapt at their charming sophistication, the audience ends up rooting for them no matter what their characters do. We're happy if they're in love one minute, and equally happy with her smashing a gramaphone record over his head. Quite frankly, there's no absolutely terrible couple we'd like to see end up together more.
Laird Mackintosh (Victor Prynne) and Amanda Leigh Cobb (Sibyl Chase) also round out the excellent ensemble as the unlucky in love civilians who get caught up in the tornado that is Elyot and Amanda. These performers create whole, individual characters that stand opposite of yet perfectly in sync with their more overt (though maritally short-lived) spouses. Each provides their own comic flair in roles that could simply be outshined by the leads but never are in this fantastic ensemble gambol.
In a play manners, the set can sometimes be neglected, leaving the actors with little to play with but the words. Thsi production avoids that gaff, giving even the simplest scenes lots of doors and props and obstacles that must be jumped over or cuddled on or evaded when thrown. This creates unique and intricate staging that feeds into the energy of the language - meaning the massive amount of talking never gets boring and we can't wait for the next line.
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic runs through a meadow of memories. And, wheverever you are, don't despiar. Today is the color purple.
As always, the Pittsburgh Public turns out a fantastic team of acting professionals. There's a lot of zany antics in "Private Lives", and the result threatens to de-rail at any moment. But, even when they're chasing each other around the room hurling furniture decor, the cast's performance is clean and precise. It makes the comedy, largely a show of clever one-liners, all the more funnier for their skill.
Michael Brusasco (Elyot Chase) and Victoria Mack (Amanda Prynne) 's pairing turns out to be the basically amoral and ultimately selfish couple. However, the performers are so adapt at their charming sophistication, the audience ends up rooting for them no matter what their characters do. We're happy if they're in love one minute, and equally happy with her smashing a gramaphone record over his head. Quite frankly, there's no absolutely terrible couple we'd like to see end up together more.
Laird Mackintosh (Victor Prynne) and Amanda Leigh Cobb (Sibyl Chase) also round out the excellent ensemble as the unlucky in love civilians who get caught up in the tornado that is Elyot and Amanda. These performers create whole, individual characters that stand opposite of yet perfectly in sync with their more overt (though maritally short-lived) spouses. Each provides their own comic flair in roles that could simply be outshined by the leads but never are in this fantastic ensemble gambol.
In a play manners, the set can sometimes be neglected, leaving the actors with little to play with but the words. Thsi production avoids that gaff, giving even the simplest scenes lots of doors and props and obstacles that must be jumped over or cuddled on or evaded when thrown. This creates unique and intricate staging that feeds into the energy of the language - meaning the massive amount of talking never gets boring and we can't wait for the next line.
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic runs through a meadow of memories. And, wheverever you are, don't despiar. Today is the color purple.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
"Dutchmen" from Bricolage Production Company
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)