Interludes

THE STATE OF THE ARTS – April 1, 2015

• By drediman
• April 1, 2015
• No Comments

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• Putting the play back into play. The folks at Bedlam are back to their high jinxing with their delightful repertory productions of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. That’s right, they’re performing two different versions of the play with a cast of five (both directed by Eric Tucker), respectively entitled Twelfth Night (or What You Will) and What You Will (or Twelfth Night). What’s apparent from this experiment is the sheer joy of theater-making — perhaps at the expense of some psychological depth, oh but what fun it all is!
• Cirque with heart and soul. The New Victory Theater continues its winning streak as possibly the country’s preeminent children’s theater with its current tenant, Catch Me! from a  youthful, exuberant cirque troupe from Quebec. Most cirque-type performances I’ve come across have been well-oiled machines that unfortunately lack the humanity to fully draw me in. This ensemble, however, floored me not only with their top-notch circus skills but also their emotional resonance as an ensemble and sophisticated staging choices.
• Flexing on a large canvas. Previous to seeing Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray and Peter Sellars’ messy but exciting FLEXN at the cavernous Park Avenue Armory, I was not familiar with “flexing” (a type of street dancing originating from Brooklyn). This show was a perfect introduction, although I wish the creators had let the dance speak for itself as opposed to attempting to create dance theater (unfortunately much of the plot mechanisms were half-baked). However, when the company breaks into pure dance, it’s simply riveting.
• More than words. Playwright Bess Wohl is having a truly tremendous season. This season alone, she’s had three (!) diverse, very well-received plays produced in New York: American Hero at Second Stage Uptown, Pretty Filthy with the Civilians, and now Small Mouth Sounds at Ars Nova. Her latest is a subtle yet very revealing portrait of a small group at a retreat where no one is allowed to talk. What’s so beautifully revealed here is that what makes us human is not necessarily what we say but how we act.
• Not just a fun, but a better home. Extraordinary. The Broadway edition of “Fun Home” is, believe it or not, a not insubstantial improvement over the show at the Public. Gone is the revolve; in its place is an in-the-round staging at the Circle in the Square. The result is an experience that interestingly feels more intimate, dynamic, and real on Broadway than it did at the Newman. Big kudos to director Sam Gold for re-thinking the show’s presentation. The performances have also grown. Cerveris, Kuhn, and Maloney are all giving richer and rawer performances. Ms. Lucas as Small Alison has re-calibrated her performance to accommodate her minor growth spurt; she’s spunkier and less conventionally cute, which actually fits the role more. Too early to tout this as the best Broadway musical of the season? Perhaps not …