The American Repertory Theater’s spring festival, America: Boom, Bust and Baseball, presented it’s second offering at the Loeb Drama Center this week.  Falling under the label “Bust”, Clifford Odet’s Paradise Lost is a pithy tale of loss in the wake of the Great Depression which has some startling, and at times disturbing similarities to our current economic climate.

I’m used to the A.R.T. offering cutting edge, rapturous opuses, going just a little bit farther than other playhouses in Boston to give the audience something more, but this production of Paradise Lost, directed by Daniel Fish,  gave 3.5 long hours of dull dialog and confusing, shaky staging.  It was hard to really focus on any one character or story because it felt like the author just dumped a bucket of story lines on the floor and left the director to try to piece it together lyrically in a way that makes sense, and that keeps the audience engaged.

Fifteen minutes into an extremely dense and nonsensical opening act, both of the people sitting to my right were fast asleep.  They left after the first of two intermissions, along with about six other people around me.  I can’t really say that I blamed them- I could barely keep my eyes open myself.  I’m glad that I stuck it out though, because while the first act did drag considerably, the actors did help to liven up the story in the second and third acts, just barely keeping my attention.

There just wasn’t anything going on in the piece that I cared about.  The characters were underdeveloped and there were far too many to keep track of, though they all seemed to live in the same house even though that fact was unclear and didn’t ever get around to being explained.  As the story unraveled and we collected more tidbits about the characters and how they are related, I was less engaged and more annoyed that I had invested my mind into characters that I didn’t care about, respect, or understand.  On the heels of the spectacularly character driven Gatz, Paradise Lost was especially disappointing.

Despite my obvious criticism of the play choice, and the lack of what I consider to be a firm directorial standpoint, the actors and actresses worked their hardest to give their character’s life, some succeeding better than others.  I enjoyed the sharp tongue and good timing of Michael Rudko in his portrayal of Mr. Pike the furnace man, and T. Ryder Smith was very good as both the demonic Mr. May and younger son Julie (though it was sort of difficult for me to buy that he was the younger brother, he looks like he’s about twice the age of Hale Appleman who played his older brother, Ben).  Ryder had the great instincts of a veteran performer which made him extremely interesting to watch, even after the character’s personal tragedies limited his range of motion in the third act.  Sally Wingert also had some very nice moments as Clara, family matriarch.  In fact, she best embodied the physical and emotional characteristics of the time period.

Another thing that I found both puzzling and ultimately distracting, was the choice to include modern clothing and technology into the show.  While I understand that the audience was meant to see the parallel between the late 1930’s and today, I think we could have figured it out on our own without the Casio keyboard, the POD storage unit,  and the Enron t-shirt.

I wanted a lot more from Paradise Lost than I got.  The show did live up to its claim that it was a “bust”, though unfortunately I do not think it was in the way it was intended to.

Interesting projections made us see the cast in a different light- literally.

If you’re looking for one-of-a-kind theatrical experiences, the American Repertory Theatre is always happy to oblige.  I have had the pleasure of dozens of evenings at A.R.T.’s Loeb Drama Center, but never have I attended a production as epic as Elevator Repair Service’s Gatz.  This gargantuan six-hour piece is more than a word-for-word reading of one of America’s most beloved novels; it is a reexamination of what modern theatre can be for an audience.  Throughout the evening, the entire text of “The Great Gatsby” is read from cover to cover and no alternate or supplementary text is added. The company takes its time in allowing the story to develop organically. In four distinct acts, the audience is swept with a wave of nostalgia for the days when theatre was a whole day commitment and intermissions are long enough to have dinner and regroup.  From start to finish, Gatz is the longest theatrical performance I have ever seen, and Elevator Repair Service must be commended for their engaging, glamorous, treatment of Salinger’s greatest work.

Elevator Repair Service is a theater ensemble that builds original shows around a broad range of subject matter including literary, dramatic, and cinematic forms.  In Gatz, Scott Shepherd takes on the enormous responsibility of lead player.  Framed in the context of a cheap and grimy office, Shepherd picks up a copy of “The Great Gatsby” and starts to read it aloud to pass the time.  At first the distinction is clear- Shepherd is reading the book as anyone might, in simple monotone; he is a colorless drone in a dreary office.  But somehow, seamlessly, Shepherd becomes Nick, the novel’s protagonist.  Shepherd’s coworkers step up to assume the other characters in the story, first in pantomime, but then in earnest and to much delight of the audience.  The duality of office worker and novel character is like a fun mystery game.  Gary Wilmes is the first to join Shepherd in his indulgence as Tom.  He is charismatic and lecherous, bonding his “office persona” swiftly into his character treatment.  Wilmes re-imagines the character of Tom for Gatz.  Less the bumbling oafish man who cannot control his temper, and more an American “Joe” trying to do right in his life- it was actually a refreshing look at the character, and mirrored Jim Fletcher’s unique take on Gatsby- a less confident, more unfortunate reading of the novel’s namesake.  In fact, all the characters take on more realistic interpretations of the novel’s big and impassioned characters.  Jordan (Susie Sokol) is more vulnerable, less self-assured than I imagined her to be, Daisy (Victoria Vazquez) is a little less ruthless.  I appreciate how Elevator Repair Service breathed “human” life into the characters.  (I also noticed the actors playing Gatsby and Henry Gatz, his father, have the same last name- I am not sure if this is coincidence or if they are in fact father and son, but it is really fantastic to imagine that they are- it ads even more layers to their on-stage relationship!)

My only criticism of this production is that the rich universe created in the first half of the reading doesn’t quite manifest itself as well in the second half. I believe the audience is meant to understand that as Shepherd embodies the character of Nick more and more completely, the vestiges of the office fade away leaving him completely immersed in Gatsby’s world.  Unfortunately, this didn’t work for me as well as I might have hoped.  I kept waiting for small reminders that this space was still an office, that the book was still an escape from the reality of a stolid existence, but they never came. If fact, towards the end of the play the audience was being addressed directly as if we had been there all the time despite the fact that the fourth wall remained fairly in-tact for the earlier part of the show.  I would have loved to see the office metaphor being taken further into the second part of the play because there is something so satisfying about the combination of the novelist’s voice and the actor’s treatment existing right up against one another.  I missed it towards the end.

The ensemble is spectacular.  The huge amount of preparation for Gatz is nothing short of a miracle.  Shepherd has committed the entire book to memory, and the rest of the ensemble have taken their characters to heart in a deep way not often reached in modern theatre.  The six hours flew by, I could not believe it.  The only thing more intimidating than being an actor in a show of that length has to be being an audience member!  But it just isn’t an issue with this production.  If the length of the piece is a fear keeping you from attending, I implore you to forget about it and buy tickets.  You will be amazed at how quickly the time goes.  I suggest you take advantage of one of the A.R.T.’s dining options, or run across the street to The Upper Crust for a slice, because the break goes by quickly and the excellent A.R.T. staff is diligent about keeping the show running on time.

Shepherd reads. Photo: Mark Barton

William Shakespeare would have rolled over in his grave if he had heard last night’s performance of Best Of Both Worlds at the A.R.T.- but only to get his ear closer to the magnificent sound! In the true spirit of the long dead king of writers, Randy Weiner, Diedre Murray and Diane Paulus have re-imagined The Winter’s Tale for a modern era- touching the audience like never before.  Mellow jazz, smooth R & B, passionate gospel and playful hip-hop combine and intertwine to imbue a centuries old story with new spirit.

Gone is the familiar, painful to follow text and predictable action.  The cast fills the stage with color and sound and vitality to rival the flashiest of Broadway shows.  Just as King Chamberlin’s Men would have, the company of players of Best of Both Worlds, arrive on a bare set- in a purple Cadillac no less- and instantly transform it into their playing space. Cleavant Derricks, as our narrator, sets the scene for the audience, and his tongue is planted firmly in his cheek as he introduces two R&B “Kings”, Ezekiel (Gregg Baker) and Maurice (Darius de Haas) whose pride and stubbornness lead to extremely dramatic circumstances for Ezekiel’s beloved wife Serena (Jeannette Bayardelle), his children Mamillius (Sebastien Lucien) and Rain (Brianna Horne), and the entire kingdom of lives they touch along the way.  It is Shakespeare undone and redone again (you should see the exit pursued by a bear!)

The axiom and essence of The Winters Tale live on in this neoteric, musical treatment.  Baker as Ezekiel is mesmerizing.  It is almost impossible to take your eyes off of him when he’s singing.  With a voice that floats to the very top row of seats, his emotions are palpable- from rage to anguish. De Hass is the perfect counterpoint as Maurice, his voice so warm and supple that there was not one person breathing in the entire auditorium when he hit his high notes.  All this vocal power was matched by Bayardelle’s Serena and Mary Bond Davis’ portrayal of Violetta, Queen Mother of Ezekiel.  Bayardelle garnered the loudest applause of the night after her heart-rending plea for mercy at the end of act one.  She was as beautiful and ethereal as any queen I could conjure.  Davis as Violetta had the vocal power to rival the entire ensemble, and as the company’s matriarch she filled her roll with a grace and dignity that has been unmatched by any single female I have seen perform this season.  A strong ensemble of players round out the rest of the extraordinary cast.  Nikkieli DeMone’s powerful celebration of love in the second act was a crowd pleaser, and Horne and Lawrence Stallings (as Tariq) deliver a sensational ballad- but the real show stopper came from Lucien, whose solo tribute to his mother is so beautiful that it brought the audience to tears.  He was sophisticated and mature enough to hold his own in a cast of exceptional talent.

I was so moved to be a part of this night of theatre.  Looking around the packed house, their was an even more pronounced rainbow of faces in the crowd- and that is an exciting feeling for someone who sees an average of three shows a week, often with the same, stuffy, blue-haired set.  I felt privileged to get to share this event with a crowd that isn’t necessarily your typical A.R.T. patron.  The feeling in the air was arresting- a current of excitement that revived and rejuvenated the entire audience.  The night flew by- and there was no need for the company to illicit a standing ovation at the curtain, the audience was already standing, clapping, shouting, and in some cases, singing along.  It just felt good.  The A.R.T. has made its name by offering us unconventional theatrical productions, and Best of Both Worlds is more than just a feather in the A.R.T cap, it’s a crowning jewel. Bravo, Bravo!

Jeannette Bayardelle and Sebastian Lucien. Photo: Marcus Stern.

A marriage proposal. Photo: Marcus Stern.

“Are there going to be hula hoops?”

That was my companion’s hopeful, sotto voce inquiry as we were politely shuffled into the Loeb Drama Center on Wednesday evening.  I was pleased to tell him that I wasn’t sure what this production of Aurélia’s Oratorio had in store for us, but I knew it was going to be one of a kind.  I was devastated when I missed the first visit of Aurélia Thierrée and Jaime Martinez, the dramatic duo that breathed life into this piece earlier in the season, so when I heard that the drama-come-dance-production-come-circus-act was returning to the A.R.T., I was very pleased.

We didn’t see any hula hoops, but the variety and complexity of fantastical acrobatics was so impressive, believe me, you hardly missed them.  Conceptualized by Thierrée, along with her mother, Victoria Thierrée Chaplin, youngest daughter of famed actor-magician Charlie Chaplin, Aurélia’s Oratorio went beyond the world of reality into a fantastic world where nothing is as it seems.  With hardly a word spoken throughout, the movements and unique musical arrangements (Chaplin teamed up with Paolo Barucchi for the sound design, it was brilliant) told a complex story that was different for each audience member, but left everyone utterly speechless.  There are a fantastic variety of topics I could cover throughout the production- from the acrobatic work (wow!), to the beautiful dancing and costumes, but I am going to focus on what I found to be the most mesmerizing aspect of the production, the puppetry work.

Perhaps you might not know that I specialized in puppetry while doing my master’s degree work at Emerson, but since my very first class there (hoping to quell a life-long unreasonable fear of marionettes) I was hooked on the variety and intricacies in the world of puppetry.  Aurélia’s Oratorio used several facets of the puppetry world- shadow show, large scale-multiple operated puppets, Punch and Judy style hand puppets, and even “found object puppetry”.  Curtains, coats, scarves, and bells all took on human forms and transformed the audience’s view more magically than a cast of humans ever could.  Even the curtains themselves became puppets in an intricate mating dance that produced an adorable “baby curtain” later in the production (I’m not kidding, a few audience members even said, “awww”.) A stand-out puppetry scene was done as a dream sequence where layers of fabric, cardboard, glitter and gauze created a dream world where Aurélia was simultaneously frightened and comforted into sleep.  The puppetry work was seamless- each puppeteer was fully hidden and completely invested.  It felt exciting and at the same time eerie and surreal to see these huge creations of fabric come to life and interact with the characters on stage.

Another brilliant and exciting bit of puppetry work came later in the show, when Aurélia was kidnapped and attacked by an obsessed flock of hand puppets.  The puppeteers were really at their best here, totally obscured and yet able to portray an ominous evil that was truly unnerving (and made me doubt if I really was over my puppet phobia!)

The production, which runs for another week and a half, is appropriate for all ages, but don’t let that sway you into thinking it is a kid’s show.  The multi-layering of the piece makes it even more appropriate for adults, and I recommend it for any family looking for a way to dodge the ominous humidity that has been creeping over Beantown, of late.

This show is a great end cap for a fantastic season at the A.R.T.  Fall brings The Donkey Show, the kick off to a season of Shakespeare- I’m really looking forward to it!

Shadow Puppet Dream Sequence

The A.R.T. is presenting the final installment of their David Mamet celebration June 11th – June 28th at the Zero Arrow Theater in Harvard Square.  This double billing, The Duck Variations and Sexual Perversity in Chicago, are two of Mamet’s celebrated short comedies.  I had the pleasure of attending on Sunday afternoon and must say that I was not disappointed.

After my rotten experience at Turtle Lane, I was less than excited when I found out this show was going to be cabaret style, but my fears were quickly assuaged. The A.R.T. really knows how to do cabaret-style seating!  The tables were the correct size to accommodate a group of four and arranged in such a way that audience members had the choice of where they would be sitting with relation to their companions.  Each table had a drink menu (complete with a discrete and polite waitress who was all but invisible during the performance) and a flickering electric candle that was very useful to those of us inclined to take a note in out program during the performance.  My faith in the cabaret has been restored, because when done right, as it was at the Zero Arrow Theater, it was absolutely charming and fun.

Done in short vignettes, The Duck Variations explores the collected wisdom and relationship idiosyncrasies of a pair of elderly men who meet at the park to watch the ducks every day. Thomas Derrah and Will LeBow  embody their characters completely.  Derrah as Emil is a perfect balance of thoughtful, proud, and opinionated, and LeBow as George is his ideal counterpart; ornery, short tempered, quick with a cheap shot, but ultimately just as kind-hearted and thoughtful as his crumb-throwing companion.  They have great comic timing and sparkling stage presence.  In their small world, where the discussions of ducks reflect their opinions on society, their fears of growing older, and their reflections of love and power, both men are sensitive and authentic.  It absolutely brought tears to my eyes when, upon discussing the ducks tendency to remain loyal to their group dynamic, Emil turns to  George and says, “life without a friend is long”.  The show is clever and at times, laugh-out-loud funny, and never have I seen so much variety in a staging which features both characters seated beside one another for the entire piece.  I was so surprised at how fast the hour flew by (pun absolutely intended).

Sexual Perversity in Chicago also explores collected wisdom and relationship idiosyncrasies, but this time, a cast of four twenty-somethings in the 1970’s are charged with sharing their opinions.  Tim Eliot and Scott Lyman play Bernard and Dan, coworkers who share their sexual exploits over drinks, at the gym, and at work, and Susannah Hoffman and Laura Parker are roommates Deborah and Joan.  As the four embark on various relationships with one another, the audience is treated to an unfortunate reality.  Bernard and Joan, both jaded and opinionated on the subject of love, have low expectations for the budding romance between Deborah and Dan, and feel comfortable sharing those opinions without remorse.  As much as the audience is rooting for Deborah and Dan to succeed, it is clear that their friends are right, their relationship really does unravel around them, partially from lack of communication but also partially from the influence of society.  Lyman is absolutely perfect as Dan.  He looks like he comes directly out of a seventy’s era GQ magazine.  His delivery is solid, in fact, he is the most convincing of the cast.  The argument scene between Dan and Deborah towards the end of the piece was as authentic and painful as peaking into a real-life bedroom. Eliot is a little young looking in his portrayal of Bernard, and I also found his delivery to be a little stiff- he sounded, at times, as if he was reading directly off of a cue card.  It wasn’t as jarring as it could be considering the “used car salesman” type personality of his character, but I think his overall character would have benefited from a little more natural timbre mixed in with the smooth-talking. Both Hoffman and Parker do well balancing the feminine need for attention with the seventy’s era tendency towards feminine independence, and both give a solid performance.

Before seeing these productions, I could not have imagined a less likely paring, but the cast and crew put together two evocative, clever reflections on society in two very different ways.  It was really thought-provoking to see the way age does and does not effect people’s opinions of love and friendship.  Overall, I would recommend seeing these shows as part of your June theatre schedule.  Mamet’s fantastic writing is served well by all parties at the A.R.T.

Thomas Derrah as Emil and Will LeBow as George. The Duck Variations. Photo: Kati Mitchell.