Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: Irish Rep’s devastating little COVID-19 play, Manual Cinema’s wildly inventive take on Mary Shelley’s classic, and Disney streams one of its most spirited stage musicals

• By drediman
• August 23, 2020
• No Comments

Last week saw another week of eclectic “theatergoing”. Here are my reviews.

Marty Rea, Seán McGinley, and Marie Mullen in Irish Repertory Theatre’s production of “The Gifts You Gave to the Dark” by Darren Murphy.

THE GIFTS YOU GAVE TO THE DARK
Irish Repertory Theatre

Last week, I finally saw Irish Repertory Theatre’s world premiere production of The Gifts You Gave to the Dark (RECOMMENDED) by Darren Murphy (the play first aired on Wednesday May 27, 2020 and will remain accessible here through October 2020). Even though the work only runs scarcely over twenty minutes, it manages to packs quite a bit of drama into its slight frame. The play was written as a fictitious FaceTime call between Tom, who is struggling through a bout of COVID-19 in Belfast, and his uncle Larry, who is taking care of his seriously ill sister Rose (Tom’s mother) in Dublin. During the call, Larry encourages Tom to speak to his debilitated mother, who seems quite literally to be on her deathbed. In a devastating ten-minute monologue, Tom chronicles a memorable day that he and his mom spent together. As you can probably already gather, the play was an emotionally draining experience to sit through and perhaps not quite what the doctor calls for during our frustrating times. Nevertheless, it showcased the characteristics that make Irish theater so compelling – gruff charm, involved storytelling, and unapologetic characterizations. Particularly effective in Mr. Murphy’s short play were the raw, realistic performances from Marty Rea (as Tom), Seán McGinley (as Larry), and Marie Mullen (a Tony-winner for The Beauty Queen of Leenane as Rose). Also commendable was the direction by Caitríona McLaughlin, whose subtle direction was soaked with unvarnished honesty.

Sarah Fornace in Drew Dir’s adaptation of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” for Manual Cinema.

FRANKENSTEIN
Manual Cinema

Closing out Manual Cinema‘s 10th anniversary “retrospectacular” was the company’s exciting adaptation of Mary Shelley’s game-changing gothic horror novel Frankenstein (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) (previously, the retrospective streamed Lula Del Ray, The End of TV, and No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks). The production was the final show produced by the creative Chicago collective before the pandemic. It was first staged in 2018 at Chicago’s outstanding Court Theatre, and it subsequently went on tour in 2019, playing New York as an offering at the Public Theater’s Under The Radar Festival (where I caught it in person) and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (where it was captured on film). Drew Dir’s wildly inventive staging, which he co-devised with Sarah Fornace and Julia Miller, is a brilliant culmination of the company’s aesthetic evolution, resulting in perhaps the most polished and sophisticated specimen of its unmistakable brand of handmade cinema to date. Building on the creative storyboarding and shadow puppetry of past projects, the show’s creators have also forayed into the world of actual cinematography – particularly the silent film vernacular – as well as expanded its puppeteering techniques. In terms of storytelling, Mr. Dir and his team have compellingly drawn parallels between the work’s classic plot and the circumstances around the creation of Ms. Shelley’s novel. Also central to the production was Ben Kauffman and Kyle Vegter’s dazzling percussive score, which was a key ingredient in this Frankenstein‘s immersive storytelling.

Kara Lindsay and the company of Disney’s “Newsies”.

NEWSIES
Disney Theatrical Productions

One of Disney Theatrical’s more successful – and unlikely – success stories was its stage adaptation of the cult 1992 movie musical Newsies (RECOMMENDED) (featuring an anthemic score by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman), which opened on Broadway at the Nederlander Theatre in 2012. The spirited and expanded stage incarnation benefited especially from Harvey Fierstein’s smart and solidly-crafted book, Christopher Gattelli’s athletic Tony-winning choreography, and Jeremy Jordan’s star-making, attractively cocky performance in the lead role of Jack Kelly. Additionally, the youthful energy required for the show popped brilliantly onstage, sending audiences into the night on a euphoric high. Happily, these attributes were on clear display in last Friday’s free Playbill.com streaming of the musical (benefitting The Actors Fund), which was beautifully captured during the national tour’s Los Angeles run (which also featured Mr. Jordan’s fellow original Broadway cast members, the perky Kara Lindsay, Ben Fankhauser, and Andrew Keenan-Bolger). I’d even go so far as to say that this transfer is one of the more impressive film captures of a stage production that I’ve seen (which includes the recent release of Hamilton on Disney Plus). Not only was this Newsies film gorgeously produced, it also conveyed the palpable energy that’s unique to live performance (“Hamilfilm”, despite its slick production and the sensational turns from the original cast, almost seemed to be performed in a vacuum). Concluding the event was a musical treat that brought together cast members from the Broadway and touring productions of the hit musical.