Theater Reviews: Jane Austen Unscripted, A Skull in Connemara, Model Behavior

Also, The Todd and Molly Show, Dai, Stormy Weather and more

Comments (0) By L.A. Weekly Theater Critics Wednesday, Feb 4 2009

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GO MODEL BEHAVIOR “A play played at right angles” might be an apt description of Richard Alger’s reimagination of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Masterfully choreographed and directed by Tina Kronis, an ensemble of 11 performers, in their own words, “shreds” the story into a movement-based, bare-bones series of scenes punctuated by musical numbers. The action follows London lawyer Mr. Utterson (Jake Eberle), as he investigates strange occurrences between his old friend Dr. Jekyll (Jacob Sidney), and the misanthropic Mr. Hyde, who is first discovered by Utterson’s acquaintance Mr. Enfield (Jonathan Green). Utterson is aided by reports from Jekyll’s butler, Mr. Poole (Mark Skeens), and his domestic staff, as well as by Dr. Lanyon (David LM McIntyre), to whom Jekyll reveals his split personality. The performers, dressed in period attire but barefoot, remind one of the ensembles behind avant-garde works of the 1960s like The Serpent or modern incarnations like The Wooster Group. Christopher Kuhl’s dynamic lighting, which compensates for the almost non-existent set, emphasizes Kronis’ precise direction and 90-degree choreography. The cast shines in its exacting execution of Kronis’ minimalist vision, proving Mr. Utterson’s observation that “never is a reflection more thoroughly itself than when it is nothing.” 24th Street Theatre, 1117 W. 24th St., downtown; Sat., 8 & 10:30 p.m. Sun., 3 p.m. (note: added perf Thurs., Feb. 12., 8 p.m.; no perfs Sat., Feb. 14); through February 22. (213) 745-6516. A Theatre Movement Bazaar Production. (Mayank Keshaviah)

MODERN LOVE Anthony Mora’s play is centered on a male obsession: Screenwriter-producer-director Jack (Rico Simonini) becomes convinced that studio receptionist Sharon (Laura McLauchlin) is the actual, living embodiment of the character he has created. He rashly attempts to cast her as the lead in his film, without consulting the studio or his co-producer. Despite the play’s title, it’s more about power than about love. Ruthless producer Carla (Ann Convery) and Jack mercilessly demonstrate to a young writer (Michelle Draper) how powerless she is, and she’s soon superseded by Jack. Nymphet star Jillian (Aubrie Weinholt) uses her box-office clout to bully and humiliate those around her. Pushy Sharon uses her neediness as a weapon, and Jack’s tenuous authority is undermined when he indulges in personal feelings. Eccentric preacher/con-man (Richard Rossi) seeks to save Jack’s soul — and promote his own idea for a TV show. There may be a coherent play here somewhere, but, at present, Mora’s script takes off in all directions, sometimes at the expense of logic and credibility. Director Chelsea Sutton faithfully deploys her able cast in service of the play. Sidewalk Studio Theatre, 4150 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m., through February 21. (818) 558-5702 or info@sidewalkstudiotheatre.com. (Neal Weaver)

Sara Shapley

A Skull in Connnemara

Courtesy of CalArts

Model Behavior

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MONSTERS AND PRODIGIES: THE HISTORY OF THE CASTRATI Why would anybody care about a history of how preadolescent boys in 17th-century Europe were castrated in order to preserve the beauty of their high voices? Mexico City’s Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes served up a pretty good response to that question at REDCAT over the weekend in a circuslike spectacle that was as disturbing as it was beautiful. A snorting, stomping Centaur (Miguel Angel Lopez) opened the piece, his huge, bare chest heaving from behind stable doors, establishing the Greek myth origins of how lines between men and beasts became crossed — along with those between men and gods. Fast-forward to the 20th century, and the stage was occupied by ghoulish characters out of a Molière farce: Siamese twins in whiteface (Raúl Román and Gastón Yanes) attached at the waist by their Baroque vest, a fuming harpsichordist (Edwin Calderon) and one Castrati (Javier Medina) — whose amazing soprano is reputed to have been the consequence of a childhood disease, not castration, which has been illegal since the earliest 20th century — even in Italy. (The play’s closing image of the despondent, last surviving Castrati, accompanied by an ancient recording of his singing “Ave Maria,” was eerily haunting.) Dualities abounded on the stage: the brutality of castration (especially when it went awry) versus the beautific rapture of those high holy voices; Jorge Kuri and Claudio Valdes Kuri’s play (in Spanish, supertitled in English) emphasizes the duality between the age of reason, embodied by polite French opera–going habits versus the wild emotionality of the Italians, who used opera as a center of socializing — even during the performances — and stopped their chattering only during the occasional arias that really captured their attention. And for such arias, audiences showed emotive appreciation. The stage was eventually opened to reveal a huge sand pit behind those stable doors. The twins were separated, there was the intervention of the French Revolution, and the performance devolved into a madcap farce, that included Punch and Judy Show antics, food fights and the parade of a magnificent horse, restrained to the point of frothing at the mouth. This frothing, combined with the beast’s heavy breathing and the animal’s stunning, balletic elegance, summed up the duality of distortion and beauty. Using a history-lesson format, the spectacle wore out its welcome and then, most curiously after the anarchy of the revolution, the welcome wore itself back in again; and Kaveh Parmas’ performance as a near-naked Slave, goaded to torment the Castrati for no reason other than comic relief, was masterful. REDCAT, inside Disney Hall. Closed. (Steven Leigh Morris)