VIEWPOINTS – The classics, adventurously reconsidered: Robert Icke’s ORESTEIA, Elevator Repair Service’s SEAGULL, and Classical Theatre of Harlem’s TWELFTH NIGHT

Upon my return to New York from my aforementioned London trip, I made it a point to attend three adventurously reconsidered classics of Western drama before they shuttered. Here are my thoughts.

Anastasia Hille and Angus Wright in Robert Icke’s production of “Oresteia” at the Park Avenue Armory (photo by Joan Marcus).

ORESTEIA
Park Avenue Armory / Almeida Theatre
Through August 13

Wrapping up a summer run at the Park Avenue Armory is Robert Icke’s adaptation of Aeschylus’s [The] Oresteia (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), which is playing in repertory with the director’s superb Hamlet (both stagings originated at London’s Almeida Theatre). The eventful three-and-a-half hour production unfolds in four carefully plotted acts – the first three conclude in gruesome murders (of Iphigenia, Agamemnon, and Klytemnestra; each at the hands of a fellow family member), and the fourth recasts the furies’ chase of Orestes as a thought-provoking courtroom drama. As Klytemnestra, Anastasia Hille is nothing short of arresting, giving a many-hued performance that’s in equal measure sympathetic and terrifying. Also fantastic is the anguished Angus Wright as an impossibly conflicted Agamemnon. Not quite as compelling are Tia Bannon as Electra and Luke Treadaway as Orestes, perhaps because the mentally disturbed characters they play aren’t as richly drawn nor operatically scaled as their parents. Mr. Icke’s deliberately-paced modern dress staging is steeped heavily in ritual and puts the family drama of Aeschylus’s epic front and center (the Trojan War is only vaguely described throughout). Although some may find the adaptation a bit chilly, I found it mesmerizing in its clear-eyed depiction of the cyclical patterns of violence and the irreversible psychological trauma it causes.

Vin Knight, Maggie Hoffman, Kate Benson, Susie Sokol, Pete Simpson, and Laurena Allan in Elevator Repair Service’s “Seagull” at NYU Skirball (photo by Ian Douglas.

SEAGULL
Elevator Repair Service at NYU Skirball
Closed

I then caught one of the final performances of Elevator Repair Service’s deconstruction of Anton Chekhov’s [The] Seagull (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED), which recently closed at NYU Skirball. Interestingly, this adaptation is the third major rendition of the Chekhov classic I encountered this summer – first I caught Yasen Peyankov’s uneven adaptation for Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago, then I saw Jamie Lloyd’s stripped-down production in London, and now ERS’s take. Unfortunately, John Collins’ staging, which regularly breaks the fourth wall to call attention to the metatheatricality of the endeavor, lacks focus (the same can’t be said of Gatz, the theater company’s iconic verbatim theatrical regurgitation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby) and ultimately overlong and tiresome. Throughout, quirky, random shenanigans (including a couple of disrupting dance breaks) were abound, which seemed at odds with the existential crises faced the play’s characters. The performances by the game cast – many of whom have performed in other ERS productions over the years – veered, clearly by design, needlessly towards juvenile behavior and outbreaks.

The company of Classical Theatre of Harlem’s production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater (photo by Richard Termite).

TWELFTH NIGHT
Classical Theatre of Harlem at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater
Closed

Last but not least, I attended Classical Theatre of Harlem’s annual summer production at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem. This year, the company’s offering was a joyous and colorful staging of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). The streamlined yet satisfying staging was directed by Carl Cofield, who gives the beloved Shakespeare play a jolt of energy and tangy Caribbean flavoring. Although the entire cast was wonderful, the two female leads were particularly outstanding. Following her Tony-nominated performance in Lynn Nottage’s Clyde’s on Broadway, the petite but fierce Kara Young shined brightly as Viola, imbuing the character with spunk and endearing resilience that one couldn’t help falling in love with. Hers was a Viola worth cheering for. As Olivia, Christina Sajous was incandescent and gorgeous to look at (kudos to costume designer Mika Eubanks); in particular, her scenes wooing Ms. Walker were simply priceless. Also coming off rather well was Allen Gilmore as Malvolio. I’ve been a huge fan of this fine classically trained actor for quite some time now, and it was a pleasure to witness him yet again charm his way into the audience’s hearts with his own distinctive brand of actorly antics.

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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