Dance, a monstrous creature and a play written specifically for Zoom in this entry into my Seclusion Smörgåsbord series.
Ode (Alvin Ailey American Dance)
Company member and resident choreographer Jamar Roberts offers a meditation on the beauty and fragility of life in a time of growing gun violence. Ode is set to a piano jazz piece by Don Pullen, “Suite (Sweet) Malcolm (Part 1: Memories and Gunshots).” The music ranges from melodic to intense, mimicking life.
The six male dancers perform in front of a screen which, to me, seemed to represent the Tree of Life. The choreography highlights their individualism and also their collectivism. The piece is not a literal representation of gun violence but more a celebration of life and the heartbreaking events which can shatter joy. When a victim is laid to rest, the tinkling of the piano keys and the dancer’s melancholic movement beautifully articulates the moment.
Ode is available on the Alvin Ailey American Dance website until Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 6:30 pm est.
I Don’t See Mom (Looking Glass Theatre)
Many of us have become Zoom meeting participants through this coronavirus crisis. Kenneth Nowell has written I Don’t See Mom specifically as a play for this medium. Two adult children decide to introduce their mom to the miracle of video conferencing. Naturally mom is late to the scheduled meeting. A stranger, in mom’s living room, joins the call instead. The play is an eavesdropping on this family’s state of affairs.
Directed by Justine Lambert, we watch three characters as they interact sharing details and conflicts. The actors (Erica Becker, Molly Parker Myers and Jay William Thomas) nicely convey this story as it deepens. The ending is unresolved and well done. I especially enjoyed Mr. Thomas’ naturalistic presentation. The themes which emerge from the words expressed by the stranger were thought provoking.
Like Zoom meetings you may have attended, this one requires the performers and the audience to join together. As you might expect, all participants were not of the same technical prowess. The muting and hiding video images took a few minutes. The format is promising, however, and it was interesting to see a family obviously out of touch trying to reconnect.
Looking Glass Theatre is performing this event again on Saturday, May 9, 2020 at 6:00 pm est. Go to their Facebook page for the Eventbrite link.
www.facebook.com/LookingGlassNYC
Frankenstein (National Theatre of London)
A 2011 production of Frankenstein won Jonny Lee Miller an Olivier Award for Best Actor. Mr. Miller was exceptional in Ink on Broadway last year. He and Benedict Cumberbatch alternated the lead roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature. Nick Dear’s stage adaptation of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel differs in one substantial way with many smaller plot adjustments. The tale is told from the Creature’s point of view rather than the creator. Like the novel, the moral dilemmas are seriously handled. “Did I ask to be created?” This production often veers into melodramatic histrionics. As a result, the pedantic babbling and far-fetched highbrow language noticeably comes across as ridiculous and utterly unbelievable.
The scope of the set design and the creatures’ make up are awesome. Mr. Miller is absolutely riveting in the long opening sequence when he is born. There is a steampunk vibe to the streets of Ingolstadt which was visually arresting. Karl Johnson was wonderfully effective as the blind man who befriends the monster. The show feels too stagy and uncomfortably seesaws in tone and acting styles. The second act dream scene between the doctor and his dead younger brother was the hardest for me to endure. This play can be recommended for the central performance but be warned. There are more than a few moments of boredom to be had.
Frankenstein is streaming for free on the National Theater’s website until Friday, May 8, 2020.