Joe, Author at TheaterReviewsFromMySeat

About This Reviewer - June 12, 2019

Women/Create!

Seven women choreographers and their companies share resources and collaborate for this one week festival of dance. Each performance of Women/Create! contains four selections. In addition to experiencing the enjoyment of varied works and styles, the choreographers spoke to the audience after the first piece ended. Jennifer Muller set the tone for the evening with “I truly believe that movement is a language which can speak and heal the world.”

Jacqulyn Buglisi (Buglisi Dance Theatre) choreographed Moss Anthology: Variation #5. Part of its two year Moss project, the dance is inspired by the writings of SUNY professor Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, a Potawatomi biologist and poet. The imagery projected began with the roots of trees which are “like sentient beings,” as Ms. Buglisi later commented. Rocks and cracks in the earth appear on screen and her dancers start bonding together, their movement incorporating interwoven hands and arms. The land turns to fire. The dance takes us through earth’s cycle of renewal. The mushroom image and the final movements encapsulate the spiritual rebirth of the forest floor.

A world premiere, The Theory of Color was choreographed by Jennifer Muller (Jennifer Muller/The Works). A visual and auditory treat, lighting bathes the stage in a particular color. Text is spoken to contextualize the power and attributes of red, blue, dark purple, green and yellow. The dance and words act in combination to bring color to life. “Red is for rage.. red is for roses…. Is it cool passion or the violence of love.” The poetry is truly gorgeous, layering a mental image and definite mood onto the dancer’s movements. “The sea is so vast. The sky so wide. As wide and as vast as the whirlpool in your blue eyes.” The yellow section was particularly memorable, ending breathlessly with “finally, I hear the faint sounds of spring. Finally, I hear the welcome songs of canaries and bees.”

You Took a Part of Me was choreographed by Karole Armitage (Armitage Gone! Dance). This dance was excerpted from a longer piece which will premiere this fall. Inspired by the 15th Century Noh play, Nonomiya, this story involves erotic entanglements and psychosexual tensions in the style of traditional Japanese Ghost Noh Theater. In the splendidly sensuous section Memory Duet, Megumi Eda and Cristian Laverde-Koenig show the power of dance when elegant and precise movements are presented in unison with equally mesmerizing character development and strong wordless acting. A full production in October will include a traditional wooden Noh stage on loan from the Japan Society. I will be there.

Fun and frivolity concluded the evening’s program. Snap Crackle Pop was choreographed by Carolyn Dorfman and Renée Jaworski (PILOBOLUS Co-Artistic Director). This work is a unique collaboration which will tour for two years as part of carolyndorfmandance before joining the repertoire of PILOBOLUS. The dance exuberantly celebrated and mocked television commercials from long ago. The romanticism sold by cigarette companies was a hilarious tangle of pleasurable addiction. Kennedy, described as “a man who’s old enough to know but young enough to do” is assassinated, effectively shutting down the misguided joyful era. The imagery in our heads from all of the information that pours inside our brains seemed to be represented by the dancers as neurons. This particular work was a crowd pleasing dance filled with some vividly powerful structural movements.

Women/Create! is both mentally interesting and visually stimulating. The evening is a wonderfully relaxed and exciting way to see different artists sharing their style of dance. Pay heed to the instruction spoken in The Theory of Color: “Green for Go in traffic lights the world over.”

www.newyorklivearts.org

www.buglisidance.org

www.jmtw.org

www.armitagegonedance.org

www.carolyndorfman.dance

About This Reviewer - June 9, 2019June 10, 2019

Last Man Club (Axis Company)

There are no sure bets in theater. That’s the excitement and reality of live performance and creative risk taking. There are, however, reliable pockets of extraordinary levels of sustained excellence. One can presume a visit to the small Greenwich Village basement space of the Axis Company will include mind-blowing ambiance. Last Man Club beautifully overloads the senses and transports you to the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.

For its twentieth anniversary season, Axis Company’s Artistic Director Randy Sharp has reprised her 2013 play. Farmers in the praries of Texas and Oklahoma destroyed the topsoil which contained native grasses. Without those deep rooted plants to protect the land through periods of drought and high winds, dust storms raged on for the better part of the decade. Many escaped to find a better way of life. John Steinbeck immortalized that migration in his magnificent book The Grapes of Wrath.

Ms. Sharp has taken a different route, telling a story of a family that decided to stick it out. When the lights go down at the start of this play, the wind is deafening. The composer and sound designer of many Axis productions, Paul Carbonara, creates a harsh environment through sound. You sit there for a while to take it all in. When the lights come up, the dust is so prevalent that you can practically smell it and taste it.

Four people remain in this house. There are no neighbors anymore. No one goes outside without a face covering. Major (Jon McCormick, superb) is the man of this home, determined to see the light when it arrives at the other end of this storm. His brother decided to leave for better pastures in California, taking all the money with him. Saromy (Britt Genelin) and Wishful Hi (Lynn Mancinelli) are the ladies in residence. Both dream about the picture shows. Pogord (Spencer Aste) is healing from a broken arm. Everyone is damaged in some way; beaten down by their never ending environmental misery.

There is activity outside the home. Occasionally a vehicle passes by. There will be two different visitors that drop in to check on the family. One takes his hat off to let the dust fall, underscoring the intense conditions. The mysterious plot revolves around these strangers and survival decisions. Claustrophobic emotional drama is the mood. Tension is the catalyst which drives this tale forward.

Last Man Club is not a play which tells a straightforward story. What happens and does not happen is for the audience to decide. This experience is best described as immersive environmental theater. With all of the current conversations about climate change, the timing is certainly right to consider the implications of a man-made disaster. When you leave the theater, you will have resided in that sad home and felt choked by the dust and despair. The atmosphere is suffocating and riveting.

The six actors combine a naturalistic style with their unique character’s individualized quirkiness. Relationship histories are hinted at. The audience is given the opportunity to color between the lines. This is a theater piece to experience not simply to follow a story arc. There is a darkness looming everywhere. Can the human spirit conjure up hope in a horrific world of doom and gloom?

www.axiscompany.org

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/strangersintheworld/axis

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/highnoon/axis

About This Reviewer - June 8, 2019

Ms. Blakk For President (Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago)

If you are a political junkie and a fan of drag queen entertainers, Ms. Blakk For President is a sure fire great evening in the theater. Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight screenplay, Broadway’s Choir Boy) plays Joan Jett Blakk who ran for President in 1992 on the Queer Nation Party ticket. Along with Director Tina Landau (SpongeBob Squarepants, Superior Donuts), Mr. McCraney wrote this highly entertaining celebrity celebration.

Before the show in the lobby, for those who were paying attention, Molly Brennan stands next to a disco ball and performs a five minute version of The Wizard of Oz. The entire film is covered in snippets, sounds and happy frivolity. You could not enter the theater without a smile plastered on your face. Meanwhile there are monitors showing what’s happening inside. Drag queens are parading on a runway.

That all sounds fun and gay. A timeline, however, is also present in the lobby. In January of 1992, Ms. Blakk announced her candidacy hoping to make it to the floor of the Democratic National Convention in July. AIDS is now the number one cause of death for U.S. men ages 25 to 44. By year end, 194,476 deaths will be reported to date from this disease.

Act Up and Queer Nation were two groups making increasingly visible noise to pressure Washington to both acknowledge the crisis and actually do something. The beginning of this show is informative. For too many years, queer was a derogatory term. They want to take their name back. They “demand the death of homophobia instead of our lovers and friends.”

The setting is convention hall meets protest room with a runway cutting through the audience. This is certainly a drag show with lip syncing and heels. On a deeper level though, the extravaganza is also a history lesson and a reminder. “It’s very important that people are not forgotten.”

Of course Ms. Blakk is funny and gets a few lighthearted political barbs to throw out such as “my platforms are high and higher.” The campaign slogan was undeniably fabulous: “Lick Bush in ’92.” Throughout the good time drag show, tension lurks close to the surface. Queer Nation is making noise to grab attention not to win an election. Is Ms. Blakk caught up in the celebrity of the moment?

Naturally all of the targets you would expect (Republicans, Reagan) are hit hard. Refreshingly, they even go after mainstream liberal leaders. Democrats in drag are “people who dress up and pretend they think about the poor.” Themes are loud and very clear. “Whom we elect at the top decides who gets fucked at the bottom.” By this point, you already know whether this show is for you or not.

David Zinn’s scenic design manages to capture the spirit of a glamorous drag show which is not afraid to be aggressively serious about the angst and anger of the time. The entire performance is wildly enjoyable but also highly illuminating. The show exists to honor those who’ve come before and remind us all about the importance of standing up for civil rights and basic human decency.

All of the actors excel and most play multiple roles. Sawyer Smith plays “Q” which seems to nicely describe the various parts expertly inhabited including Marilyn Monroe. Patrick Andrews channeled Mark from Queer Nation who pushed the agenda and was clear sighted about the mission. Jon Hudson Odom played journalist and drag persona Glennda Orgasm, a performance artist who wants to capture the big interview on the convention floor.

Martha P. Johnson, one of the leading activists in the Stonewall riots is remembered in Ms. Blakk For President. This performer was found dead floating in the Hudson River later that same year. Apparently law enforcement was uninterested in investigating this potential homicide. This month is the fiftieth anniversary of this historic and dramatic exercise in free speech for equal rights. Johnson paved the way for many drag queens to follow. The tribute here is timely, fitting and touching. As is the reminder of the hard work done by unforgettably courageous citizens.

www.steppenwolf.org

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/choirboy

About This Reviewer - June 7, 2019June 25, 2019

Rhinoceros (American Conservatory Theater, San Francisco)

Eugène Ionesco’s 1959 play Rhinoceros is an absurdist triumph considered to be a social commentary on the growth of Fascism and Nazism prior to World World II. There are many themes which underscore that premise including conformity, mob mentality and morality. From his mother’s side, Ionesco was ethnically Jewish during the rising antisemitic atmosphere. The radical right was pushing for the removal of these illegal aliens from their country.

By the time he got to the University of Budapest, one of his philosophy professors was using his lectures to recruit students into the Iron Guard. This fascist legion was violently antisemitic. In a 1970 interview, the playwright noted that during this time one person after the next was becoming an Iron Guard. Trapped in the mechanism, they fell into line, accepted the doctrine and “became a rhinoceros.”

The play begins in a small French village where intellectual Gene is waiting for the kindhearted drunkard Berenger (the program spellings were in English). An important discussion was planned but Gene decided to berate his friend for his tardiness and general drunkenness. This continues until a rhinoceros is spotted rampaging through the square. Another rhinoceros appears and crushes a woman’s cat. We are told the cat’s name was Marmalade.

Berenger heads to the newspaper office where he works and is, of course, late. The staff are arguing about whether or not a rhinoceros could appear in France despite all of the eyewitness accounts. Botard (Jomar Tagatac) argues that the locals are too intelligent to be tricked into the empty rhetoric of a mass movement. From there, you can guess what happens.

This production at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco is a mixed bag of absurdity. Although written in three acts, this version is performed in two. The second half dragged on. The last, long scene between Berenger and Daisy (Rona Figueroa), the woman he loves, was a dud. There didn’t seem to be any bond between the two and, as a result, no sparks were generated which is definitely needed with this material.

Two performances stood out for me in terms of their inspired characterizations. Mrs. Boeufs’ husband works with Berenger but her husband has turned with the tide. She literally falls for him despite the fact that he is now a rhinoceros. Trish Mulholland was hilarious in the role. As the boss Mr. Papillon, Danny Scheie was probably my favorite absurdist on the stage.

David Breitbarth and Matt Decaro were entertaining as Berenger and Gene but there were more laughs to be had, most notably in Gene’s bedroom scene. Directed by Frank Galati, the pacing seemed to slow down and, as a result, so did the play’s effectiveness. I thoroughly enjoyed Robert Perdziola’s scenic design which suggested very good fun.

This is a perfect time to stage this Ionesco masterpiece. Imagine how many times in history we’ve seen people blindly follow rhetoric with a mob mentality. Hard not to feel sympathy for Berenger and see that right now. For Rhinoceros to shine brightly, that sort of disturbing fun and absurdity need to be sustained more consistently than was in this production.

www.act-sf.org

About This Reviewer - June 3, 2019

May 2019 Podcast

This month’s podcast is now live. You can click the buzzsprout link below or search for theaterreviewsfrommyseat on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher.

This month’s episode covers productions in New York City and also one in Munich called Doktor Alici which was presented by Munchner Kammerspiele. Broadway productions discussed include the revival of All My Sons with Annette Bening and Tracy Letts. Two Tony Award Best Musical nominees: Tootsie and Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. This episode also covers a bunch of shows off and off-off Broadway including Alice Ripley starring in The Pink Unicorn.

The mission of theaterreviewsfrommyseat is to record my theatergoing experiences in concise summaries without plot spoilers in order to share my love of theater. I hope to inspire you to see a play, musical or theater company you may not have known about. Free email subscriptions for newly published reviews are available at www.theaterreviewsfrommyseat.com.

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/may2019podcast

About This Reviewer - May 29, 2019May 29, 2019

Madame Lynch

In the 19th century, Eliza Lynch made her notoriety when she traveled from her native Ireland and became the mistress-wife of the president of Paraguay’s son. She bore him six children and was considered “an ambitious courtesan.” Some believe she turned him into a bloodthirsty dictator. Others debunk this story as war propaganda. The theater company The Drunkard’s Wife has turned her story into “a spectacle with music.”

This show is defined by the company as a fragmented portrait. Scenes, both real and imagined, are intended to showcase her life as an adventuress, cultural doyenne, femme fatale and microfinance pioneer. When this show begins, her face is a bit dirty and she reminds me of Marie Antoinette. She’s planning a party.

Why is she dirty? Apparently she is digging a grave with her hands. I didn’t understand that until I read the script afterwards. She (and the playwrights) like lists. She recites how her guest should come and what they should wear. “You will come as a fishwife of Ghent.” Or “a raspberry.” Or “three embarrassed laundresses.” Pointing toward an audience member, Madame Lynch declares “you will wear a prostitute’s yellow hood.”

From this point, little can be understood. There are scenes in a forest where someone named the Mighty Gatherer says, “those rattling neotropic insects you hear are heliotropic — they go to sunlight.” What does this have to do with the story? More psychobabble and then the scene ends with “does your Madame Lynch even imagine this?”

Madame Lynch was clearly not my cup of tea. Normandy Sherwood and Craig Flanagin wrote and directed this play. I mentioned earlier that they apparently like lists. Scene 17 is “695 known birds of Paraguay.” This is presented as a chorale for Madame Lynch and two other women. I started to worry that they were going to name all of them. I’m not kidding. They listed at least two hundred very specific birds (“the drab-breasted pygmy-tyrant”). While the recitation was creatively intertwined and impressively memorized, the point escaped me entirely.

Happily, Julia Francis Kelly was an inspiring choice to play Madame Lynch. Her performance was a nice blend of understated camp, wide-eyed opportunist and haughty first lady. The costumes by Ms. Sherwood (with Chelsea Collins and Nikki Luna Paz) were eye catching, vividly colored and quite memorable. Seven members of Ballet Panambí Vera, a contemporary Paraguayan dance company, livened up the proceedings with Iliana Gauto’s exuberant (and welcome) choreography.

Towards the end of this hodgepodge of a rambling play, undercooked spectacle, dull cartoon and incoherent history lesson stuffed with pretentious dialogue, there is a fashion show. The War of the Triple Alliance is depicted. In a show which excelled in presenting memorable costumes, why was the fashion show so mundane? Points about warfare and casualties were uttered but none of them mattered before moving on to the next vignette.

Madame Lynch wants to be a clever production showcasing the horrors of misguided cultural imperialism. Perhaps the finished product is just too specifically quirky to be enjoyed from outside the creative team’s vision. I cannot think of anyone I would send to see this show.

www.newohiotheatre.org

www.thedrunkardswife.com

About This Reviewer - May 28, 2019

Messiah (La Mama)

When you enter the downstairs space at La Mama, multi-colored fluorescent lights illuminate a multi-level stage. Asked to enter the theater in twos, your first stop is a few steps up to a level. If you so choose, you can go inside the curtain to speak with the great ancestors. The play Messiah has big ambitions, a title which promises significance and a downtown sensibility right from the start.

The jam packed story arc begins in March 1968. FBI Director Hoover was quoted as saying that the Black Panthers were “one of the greatest threats to the nation’s internal security.” This play has a viewpoint. Hoover is trying to neutralize black militant groups to prevent the rise of the Messiah.

In a nightclub, a disc jockey begins scratching. “The scratch” functions not only to set a time and a place but also to represent distance. Between music and time. Between Africa and America. Even between beats and silence. “Scratch” and it’s 1996. Mom offers her child encouragement: “don’t ever stop rapping.”

Now a DJ named Messiah, the plot swirls around stylistically and melodramatically. Messiah deals with queer and trans people struggling within the “legacies of sexism and homophobia” of black nationalism. The Star Land strip club is also a setting where a gorgeous trans performer finds an unlikely admirer, the absentee father of Messiah.

The melodrama and plot contrivances multiply. Lines such as “I can’t go through with this” and “I can’t watch someone else die” are commonplace. Some intensely poetic word imagery, however, is very effective: “I can still smell the blood on the concrete.”

Crack cocaine has begun to devastate the community and Star Land is not immune as its ladies become ghosts. The spirits of the ancestors are represented on stage by two women. The play frequently stops to underscore how this community came to be so damaged. The CIA was behind the contras who were “sending crack to the hoods.” This particular controversy was real news and is used as another example of how the system represses and continues to enslave.

Writer and Director Nia O. Witherspoon definitely has a ton of topics to address about the African American and LGBTQ experience. She confronts not only oppression from outside but also the internal problems within the community itself. The range of subjects is exhaustively comprehensive. Topics covered in this play include single moms, transvestites, drugs, capitalism, gender issues, police brutality, rap music expressionism, alcoholism, prostitution and more.

Messiah does need an edit. The first act is a long 1:45. This soap opera eventually pulls together the plot strings connecting these characters in the second act. There are many inspired sections that feel angry and instructive. The Black Panthers tell their story about bravery but the young people are “calling bullshit on that.” To his absentee father he says, “you think you’re a revolutionary – well you ain’t – you’re fucking pathetic.”

A strong cast brings this vision to pulsating life. The dual roles of Messiah and Malika add depth to the character’s journey, each aware of the importance of the other. Painful lessons are learned. None perhaps more damning than this nugget: “we all have the white man’s religion inside us.”

Messiah offers up plenty to think about and is a nice start to La Mama’s month long programming reflecting on the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. I expect everyone’s personal frame of reference will shade their engagement with this material. In her play, Ms. Witherspoon addresses the past to spark a future which shifts reality “towards creativity, justice and freedom.” That’s a tall order. Traveling across a few less lanes might tighten (and shorten) this unique and inspirational theatrical event.

www.lamama.org

About This Reviewer - May 27, 2019

The Shadow of a Gunman (Irish Repertory Theatre)

The Irish Rep is devoting a season to three of Sean O’Casey’s plays as part of its 30th Anniversary season. The Shadow of a Gunman was written in 1923 and is the first play of his “Dublin Trilogy.” The other two plays are Juno and the Paycock (1924) and The Plough and the Stars (1926). All three are being performed in repertory this spring.

Set during the Irish War of Independence, the scenes in The Shadow of a Gunman take place in a tenement room in a poor Dublin slum. Donal Davoren (James Russell) is a poet who has come to live with Seumus Shields (Michael Mellamphy). Other residents misstake Donal for an IRA gunman who is on the run. He doesn’t object to the notoriety it brings, especially when Minnie Powell (Meg Hennessy) takes an interest in him. The play begins with a heavy dose of comedy before turning tragic.

A business partner leaves a bag in Seumus’ room which he wrongly believes contains household items for resale. An ambush goes bad and the man who dropped the bag off is killed. The city is put on curfew. The Black and Tans are patrolling and raid the tenement. The play turns from a comedy into a tragedy. In this vivid retelling, the tension is riveting.

As is often the case at the Irish Rep, the cast is exemplary in creating fully fleshed out characters filled with life and the enjoyable foibles of human beings. Ciarán O’Reilly firmly directed this piece to be faithful to the play as written. The language is thick Irish brogue. There is a welcoming rhythm to the actors which somehow allows the abrupt change in tone to be convincing and harrowing. For those interested in exploring Mr. O’Casey’s work, The Shadow of a Gunman is a fine place to start. With a detailed and realistic set design by Charlie Corcoran, this is a fairly perfect production of this particular play.

The other two plays in the Dublin trilogy deal with the Easter Rising (1916) and the Irish Civil War (1922-23). Along with the Irish War of Independence which is depicted in The Shadow of a Gunman, the three major events mark the beginning of the nation of Ireland as we know it today.

What’s also noteworthy is that there is another superb play about the Irish on Broadway right now. Set during the Troubles in the 1980s, The Ferryman by Jez Butterworth is even grander in scope with a cast of two dozen full blooded characters. These stories are rich, filled with difficult politics and themes for an inexhaustibly resilient people. The Ferryman is the front runner for this year’s Best Play Tony. Now is exactly the right time to take in one of these masterpieces filled with colorful Irish men and women, all wrestling with the conflicts of the period in which they live.

www.irishrep.org

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/theferryman

About This Reviewer - May 24, 2019June 5, 2019

Doktor Alici (Münchner Kammerspiele, Munich, Germany)

On vacation and visiting Munich, what might be an interesting piece of theater? The Münchner Kammerspiele company was founded in 1906 and became the city’s municipal troupe in 1933. In 1926, they moved into their Schauspielhaus, a surviving, nicely renovated art nouveau theater built in 1901. Written by Olga Bach, Doktor Alici is based on Professor Bernhardi by the Austrian playwright Arthur Schnitzler.

First performed in Berlin, this 1912 play was billed as a comedy even though it explored anti-semitism. Hitler referred to Schnitzler’s works as “Jewish filth” and they were banned by the Nazis. Ms. Bach has updated the conflicts explored in Professor Bernhardi to our current times. Instead of Jews, this play addresses Muslims. Add in English supertitles to a “comedic” play about racism which is historically significant and staged in a cool German theater… what’s not to love?

Doktor Alici (Hürdem Riethmüller) is the police president. The year is 2023, two months before the Bavarian state elections. The set is eerily dystopian. A house lit in bright neon colors. A telephone pole with wires on a colorless street. It is storming and rain is coming down hard. Bizarre figures enter the stage. Is this imagery surreal? Futuristic? Simply dark and quirky?

In the home of Doktor Alici, there is a statue of woman. She is standing with outstretched arms and has a baby sucking her teat. The piece is deemed obscene as its shape is similar to a crucifix. The implication is that this Islamic woman is mocking Christianity. She is under attack by members of the Occident Party (a 1960’s French far-right militant political group) for some controversial decisions she has approved.

Adding to the intrigue is a double crossing member of her staff who is pushed to throw her under the bus. “You have a heart but you’re no do-gooder. Your boss is a risky situation.” Making matters even more tantalizing, Doktor Alici is a lesbian and her “niece” is an immigrant. Rain continues to pour throughout this story. The weather is “simply abnormal” these days, adding climate change to the mix of social and political commentary.

Five individuals have been arrested and detained on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. One of the suspects is not physically well. The Müller report about his medical condition is being withheld. The man in question is more than seventy years old. He is a very successful businessman and has children. The play clearly plunges headfirst into today’s headlines.

Humor is often employed and is sharply effective. Regarding public opinion: “75% of people (of the 500 we asked)” believe… The Turkish police are called “enemies of the people.” As the plot progresses, considerations for using the legal system are discussed. “We know the outcome. Why tax the legal system?” There’s even mention of withdrawing a firearm’s license. A crystal ball into democracy in 2023?

Doktor Alici subtly excoriates the world we live in today. Vividly directed by Ersan Mondtag, the murky imagery increasingly ratches up the tension. Rain will pour with increasing vigor. The stage design by Nina Peller was exquisitely moody and dark, both claustrophobic and cartoonish. The creative elements nicely framed a play which considers our imperfect societies, our nauseating politics and our history-repeating behaviors.

The whole production, including the memorable performances, makes Doktor Alici a worthwhile theatrical experience. For an American, watching German artists creatively commenting on current affairs adds to this uniquely enjoyable drama. The creepiness of the story’s plausibility visible underneath the artistically rendered imagery is the “wow” factor. A link to a brief clip of this show provides a glimpse into the exquisite mood and unforgettable visuals of this highly recommended play.

theaterreviewsfrommyseat/doktoralicivideo

www.muenchner-kammerspiele.de

About This Reviewer - May 19, 2019

Macbeth (Red Bull Theater)

In May 2014, three Wisconsin girls walked into the woods. Twelve years old, they went out for a walk after a sleepover. When they reached the woods, the birthday girl stabbed her best friend nineteen times. They intended the murder to be a blood sacrifice to a fictional internet character known as Slender Man. This macabre tale is one of the inspirations for Director Erica Schmidt’s unforgettable version of Macbeth.

In another notorious murder, two teenage girls who had dreamed up an elaborate fantasy world were about to become separated. They beat one of their mothers to death during a walk in the woods. Preteen girls emerged from the woods in Salem back in 1692 having seen witches and devils. One of the Slender Man girls was eventually diagnosed with a psychological disorder called “shared delusional belief.” An obsession with the occult coupled with the strong bonds of fantasy and isolation shared by teenage girls has resulted in unspeakable horrors.

That shared charge between these awful teenage girls and the witches in Macbeth stoked the imagination of Ms. Schmidt. Shakespeare’s witches have occult visions in the wilderness. What if seven teenage girls meet up after school and find themselves carried away by Shakespeare’s words?

From the program notes, the director even heard echoes between the bard’s fictional words and frighteningly real language. Lady Macbeth has a line, “one, two, why then, ’tis time to do’t.” A West Virginia girl posted on Twitter that “we really did go on three” after she and another girl stabbed their friend in 2012.

Dressed in school uniforms, this Macbeth is both extraordinarily violent and bizarrely hilarious. The girls are partying in the woods with wine in their red solo cups. The language is updated: “bow down, bitches.” School references are thrown in: “thou art the best of the cutthroats” and “where did you get that, the science lab?” Malcolm says “Your matrons, and your maids could not fill up/ The cistern of my lust, and my desire.” Our young lady adds in her droll editorial, “it is too much.”

The audience reactions are varied to this vividly realized nightmare. Some seemed repulsed by the gleeful gore. Some found the proceedings shockingly hilarious. I landed in both camps. Ms. Schmidt accomplished her mission. Her Macbeth is all the more gruesome and disturbing when filtered through the exaggerated lens of real events. Stabbings as fun (or what you will).

The seven young actresses are incredibly effective and fully committed to this mad vision. This is clearly a Macbeth for those who know the play. Clocking in at just over ninety minutes (and perhaps appropriate for a generation raised on Spark Notes), the words fly out with extreme speed. Much of the time they feel rushed on the way to the next grotesquerie. In between some of those moments, I was slightly bored. This version exists for its outrageous style not its nuanced storytelling.

Featuring the famous line “out, damned spot,” Macbeth is considered a tragedy. When put through the sinister lens of mean girls gone bloody, this production amps up the tragic to cataclysmic levels. Savagery is everywhere. Even delusional schoolgirls are susceptible to our species most detestable impulses. Our entertainments keep getting more and more violent. All the world’s a stage, I guess.