Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: Isaac Gómez’s WALLY WORLD, Mary Zimmerman’s THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER, and 54 Below Premieres SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED

• By drediman
• December 26, 2020
• No Comments

First and foremost, I hope everyone is having a happy, safe, and relaxing holiday (all things considered)! Here are my thoughts on the most recent crop of streaming content.

WALLY WORLD
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
On-demand here through August 31

The second virtual production the Steppenwolf NOW series is Isaac Gómez’s Wally World (RECOMMENDED), which has been given the “radio play” treatment by the famed Chicago-based company. Running 2 hours and 20 minutes and spread across two meaty acts, Mr. Gómez’s sprawling new play is an uncommon beast to have emerged from the pandemic (which has tended to produce shorter, more targeted works). Set in a “mega-department superstore” during the increasingly hectic days leading up to Christmas, the play chronicles the corresponding rise in tension among the store’s employees. In its candid exploration of seemingly mundane jobs, the play calls to mind Annie Baker’s The Flick and Eboni Booth’s Paris. But unlike those plays – which highlight the chilly desperation and emptiness of these professions – Wally World overflows with empathy, warmth, and a whole lot of sass. Despite Wally World‘s generally jovial demeanor, it also takes the time to elaborate on the loneliness and stress this time of year invokes for many. The large ensemble cast give zesty, heartfelt performances, and it’s particularly wonderful to see (or rather, hear) some fine Chicago stalwarts like Cliff Chamberlain and Sandra Marquez in performance. Co-directed by Mr. Gómez and Lili-Anne Brown, the audio production is surprisingly easy to follow and paced at a nice clip, even with its lack of visual aid and lengthy running time.

SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED
Feinstein’s/54 Below
On-demand here through January 9

The third offering of the recently unveiled 54 Below Premieres series is the latest installment of Sondheim Unplugged (RECOMMENDED). Created and hosted by Phil Geoffrey Bond – whose knowledge of Sondheim and his musicals is remarkable – the long-running series is notable for showcasing stripped-down renditions of the master’s songs (music direction by Joe Goodrich, providing attentive support on the keys), putting the emphasis on song interpretation. Having Mr. Sondheim’s incomparable treasure chest of material to draw from, Mr. Bond ensures that each hourlong visit to his thoughtfully-curated show is a new experience, especially given the series’ rotating set of performers. This current edition boasts a particularly enticing cast – Darius de Haas, Natalie Douglas, Telly Leung, T. Oliver Reid, Nicholas Rodriguez, and Lucia Spina. Given the focus on intimacy, it’s not surprising that the most effective moments were induced by Sondheim’s torch songs, particularly exposing takes on “Losing My Mind” and “Not a Day Goes By” by Ms. Douglas and Mr. de Haas, respectively. Both performers dug deep to give us tortured musical soliloquies that did justice to these emotionally rich, nuanced compositions. Like the previous 54 Below Premieres offerings, Sondheim Unplugged has been gorgeously captured in HD, fully leveraging the five available cameras to visually luxurious effect.

THE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER
Lookingglass Theatre Company
Live-streaming here through December 27

I cherish any opportunity to experience the stagings of director Mary Zimmerman, arguably one of the most imaginative directors of her generations. Indeed, I was intoxicated by her landmark productions of Metamorphoses (for which she won the 2002 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play) and Arabian Nights; both are part of theatrical lore. In 2018, Ms. Zimmerman adapted and directed Has Christian Andersen’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier (RECOMMENDED) for Chicago’s Lookingglass Theatre Company (the company for which Ms. Zimmerman has created some of her most memorable work). Since its premiere, the show — which depicts the fantastic adventures of an irrepressible toy soldier — has become a Chicago holiday tradition, having been remounted by Lookingglass in 2019 and now live-streamed for the 2020 holiday season. The adaptation was conceived in the pantomime tradition (a hugely popular genre of theater in Britain, particularly during the holidays), which means that the show is wordless and relies on exaggerated gestures, whimsical props (including puppets), and a good deal of melodrama. If this seems like a case of too much of a good thing, Ms. Zimmerman has been able to shape her intimate Victorian toy box of a production – thanks largely to the efforts of an industrious cast and a group of spirited musicians – into a perfect hourlong dose of charm, soul, and shenanigans.