Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: Theater companies collaborate to mount THE FLYING LOVERS OF VITEBSK, THIS IS WHO I AM, and I AM SENDING YOU THE SACRED FACE

• By drediman
• December 17, 2020
• No Comments

During the pandemic, theater companies around the world continue to collaborate amongst themselves to produce virtual content at an impressive clip. Here are my thoughts on some recent viewings.

THE FLYING LOVERS OF VITEBSK
Kneehigh / Wise Children / Bristol Old Vic
On-demand through December 18

Teaming up with Wise Children and Bristol Old Vic, the folks at Kneehigh have remounted for the pandemic their production of Daniel Jamieson’s The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), which tells the sweeping, decades-spanning love story between Marc and Bella Chagall (thematically, the show calls to mind Sunday in the Park with George and Fiddler on the Roof). Although staged by Emma Rice on a smaller scale than many of the productions for which she has been rightfully acclaimed (Brief Encounter, The Red Shoes), the show is no less enchanting than those previous successes. Captured live on film on the stage of the otherwise empty Bristol Old Vic, the show features Ms. Rice’s signature blend of movement, music (the exuberant score is by Ian Ross), and a good dose of theatrical imagination – an aesthetic which nicely echoes the visual splendor of Chagall’s floating, swirling paintings. The show also features a pair of tireless, astonishingly present performances by Marc Antolin and Audrey Brisson as, respectively, Mr. and Mrs. Chagall (in addition to a handful of ancillary characters). Just as important, their chemistry is palpable throughout. In summary, a magical experience.

THIS IS WHO I AM
PlayCo / Woolly Mammoth / Oregon Shakespeare Festival / American Repertory Theater
Live-streaming through January 3

In another multi-theater collaboration, New York’s PlayCo, Washington DC’s Woolly Mammoth, Cambridge MA’s American Repertory Theater, and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival have come together to produce Amir Nizar Zuabi’s This Is Who I Am. (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED). Like the last two installments of Richard Nelson’s stunning Apple Family plays, Mr. Zuabi’s new play was written specifically to be virtually performed. Over the course of an hour or so, we are witness to a video call between a middle-aged man in the West Bank and his adult son in the U.S. as they bond over the memory of their beloved late wife/mother via one of her favorite Palestinian recipes, which they prepare in real time over the course of the play’s running time (the focus on the connective powers of the family meal also plays a central role in Mr. Nelson’s plays). As the piece unfolds, passions flair as we’re caught up on the history and dynamics of this complicated father-son relationship. Despite the realism of Evren Odcikin’s production, there’s something telegraphed about how Mr. Zuabi has these two characters – sensitively portrayed by Ramsey Faragallah (the father) and Yousof Sultani (the son) – navigate their cultural and generational divide, which ultimately renders the duo more as archetypes than men of flesh and blood.

I AM SENDING YOU THE SACRED FACE
Theater in Quarantine / Theater Mitu’s Expansion Works
Live-streaming on December 18

Lastly, we have Theater in Quarantine and Theater Mitu’s Expansion Works’ co-production of I Am Sending You the Sacred Face (RECOMMENDED) by Heather Christian. Ms. Christian is a composer, writer, and performer fast on the rise. Although she’s been active in the experimental theater scene for a number of years now, her startlingly fresh approach to music theater (e.g., Animal Wisdom) has been recently getting more mainstream notice, which I suspect her accurately and fabulously described “expressionist musical portrait of Mother Teresa performed in drag” will also receive. By primarily focusing on the self-suffering icon’s inner life – particularly the agony of her spiritual journey – the work is less conventional, narrative-driven musical than fluid, almost stream-of-conscience song cycle. I must admit, however, that I find any connection between drag and Mother Teresa superficial, but where Sacred Face really shines is its uncontainable musical exuberance and intoxicating visual progression, which suggest the ecstasy of the world beyond ours. As with her past works, Ms. Christian’s 40-minute composition is addictive in its offbeat sense of wonder and discovery. And as with all of the Theater in Quarantine offerings thus far, this technically accomplished presentation has been directed and performed with remarkable enthusiasm and resourcefulness by Joshua William Gelb (in drag!) from his 2’ x 4’ x 8’ East Village closet.