Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – WHY?: Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne return to Brooklyn to gently question why we do theater

• By drediman
• October 1, 2019
• No Comments

Marcello Magni, Kathryn Hunter, and Hayley Carmichael in Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne’s “Why?” at Theatre for a New Audience. Photo by Pascal Gély.

The centerpiece of a city-wide celebration of Peter Brook’s monumental contribution to contemporary theater is the mounting of his latest play Why? at Theatre for a New Audience in Brooklyn (the legendary theater-maker’s usual stomping ground). The work is a thoughtful, wistful meditation on why we as humans are compelled to do theater. Mr. Brook and his longtime collaborator Marie-Hélène Estienne accomplish this by excavating theater’s mythological and historical origins and the development of its tools and methods, as well as its evolving norms.

Why? is part history lesson, part documentary theater, and part sad anti-morality play (the feeling Czech writer Milan Kundera conveys in his novels quickly comes to mind). In the end, Why? – as its title suggests – actually raises more questions than it initially seems to definitively answer. But I guess that’s the point Mr. Brook and Ms. Estienne are gently attempting to make. The reason we engage in theater is elusive – is its role to depict life or is its purpose to incite action in our lives (especially given the play’s focus on the Russian Revolution, particularly director Vsevolod Meyerhold and his wife, actress Zinaida Raikh)?

Usual suspects Hayley Carmichael, Kathryn Hunter, and Marcello Magni reunite to play in Why? If you’ve seen a number of Mr. Brook and Ms. Estienne’s shows in the past, you’re likely to have come across at least one of these unassuming, infinitely generous, and consummately skilled actors before. Seeing them again and together like this is a bit like homecoming. Their brand of acting comes from a place of authenticity and grace, which seems to transcend the memorable roles they’ve played in the past. Spending time with them –  particularly in conjunction with Mr. Brook and Ms. Estienne – gets to the very core of what it is to be human. That’s good enough reason as any for these frequent collaborators to make theater.

RECOMMENDED

WHY?
Off-Broadway
Theatre for a New Audience
1 hour, 15 minutes (without an intermission)
Through October 6