4-10-09
"Overtures" Enjoyable, Not Deep
As we frequently see in film, literature and other art forms, history can provide great inspiration. Compelling stories can be found throughout our past, but the creative artist has to decide how faithful he or she wants to be to historical events versus what elements he or she is willing to change for the sake of narrative consistency.
In the case of Sondheim's Pacific Overtures the author has chosen to focus more on history than on story. The play begins just before the arrival of Commodore Perry in Japan, resulting in the "opening" of that country. At first we follow the rise of Manjiri, an obscure samurai (played by the likeable Kent Haina), as he is tapped to order the Americans home and then comes up with the compromise that allows Japan to meet American demands and still hold to their own laws about foreigners. With the help of a Japanese fisherman (played by Danny Bernardo) who spent several years in the States, he gradually adapts to Western culture even as his friend comes to reject it. The final bit of the musical recounts the modern history of Japan (although it avoids any overt mention of World War II).
It's a challenging structure. On the one hand, it seeks to tell a personal story of the success and then the subversion of a minor samurai with the arrival of the West. On the other, it wants to tell a history that is presumably not well known to most audiences. As a result, the script doesn't totally accomplish either. The story of Manjiri lacks opportunity for emotional investment in the character. His trials and tribulations, therefore, don't resonate as the authors doubtless intend. The historical aspect of the story, however, remains dramatically inert. It's interesting, but not presented in a way that really sucks you in.
Porchlight deserves a great deal of credit for even attempting this project, which features an all-Asian cast--a challenge even for a large theatre company, much less a company like Porchlight that depends heavily on non-Equity talent. Director L. Walter Stearns chooses a relatively straightforward approach to the material, taking a vaudevillian approach to the foreigners, who are all portrayed in mask. And his game cast, while strong on energy, occasionally falls down vocally on some of the more difficult songs, and with the exception of the athletic David Rhee as the Reciter, they lack the dance skills to fully realize that aspect of the production either.
That's not to say the evening isn't without certain pleasures. Many critics consider Pacific Overtures to be among Sondheim's finest scores and most of the songs are well represented here. The play's uncomfortable dichotomy between historical narrative and human story doesn't render it uninteresting. If you're a fan of musical theatre and of Sondheim's work, you'll probably enjoy an intimate approach to this piece. But if you're looking for an engrossing narrative or an in-depth exploration of Japan's culture, you won't receive either here.
Chris Jones, Tribune--"Stearns' production isn't perfectly sung or a formative masterpiece, nor is it the equal of Griffin's 2001 endeavor, but this director does approach this piece with copious amounts of heart and enthusiasm (not to mention the services of a lively and chirpy five-piece orchestra under the very capable Eugene Dizon). The result is a show that injects some arresting passion into a typically cool piece, often in places those who've seen this piece a few times don't expect. Chicago's many Sondheim fans should roll along, in gentle mood."
Hedy Weiss, Sun-Times--"Porchlight's outstanding musical director, Eugene Dizon, elicits a winningly authentic Eastern sound from his splendid six-piece band, with zesty contributions from four choreographers (Andrew Waters, Wilfredo Rivera, Alka Nayya and Dwight Sora) ideally selected for their various individual strengths. Leading the 11-person cast (all of whom play multiple roles and negotiate Sondheim's exceedingly tricky score with skill) is David Rhee, whose clarity of diction, sharpness of movement and shrewdness of attitude as The Reciter (narrator) impressively sets the tone for the entire production."
Albert Williams, Reader--"Director L. Walter Stearns's excellent all-Asian-American cast, headed by David Rhee as the narrator, portray how this landmark historical moment reshapes the lives of a fisherman (Kent Haina Jr.), a samurai (Danny Bernardo), and a powerful shogun (Keith Uchima). Lyrical, stripped-down orchestrations by Eugene Dizon enrich the stark, rhythmically propulsive score, one of Sondheim's best."
Christopher Piatt, Time Out--"With its new revival of Pacific Overtures, Sondheim's imagining of 19th-century Japan being permeated by Western influence, Porchlight magically transports us to an exotic, remote land we thought was too far away to imagine but that's closer and more attainable than we could dream: community dinner theater...In the earnest but sweaty hands of Porchlight, a company whose deep passion for musicals is best realized when little seriousness is involved, Overtures looks and sounds a little too clumsy to get lost in."
Dennis Polkow, New City--"The recommendation here is mixed: on the one hand, Pacific Overtures is so rarely done and has enough to offer as a work that this production is worth catching. On the other hand, in addition to the caveats mentioned, performances are often stiff and unenergetic, elements that may merely indicate an under-rehearsed show that needs some performances under its belt to achieve proper momentum."
Web Behrens, Free Press--"In Porchlight's uneven new staging, L. Walter Stearns directs his cast to play up the humor in a show that typically has little. This broad approach suits 'Welcome to Kanagawa' (winningly sung by Chip Payos as a sly madam) and 'Please Hello,' a demanding number mocking Western 'diplomacy' (in which Erik Kaiko, Nick Shoda and Peter Sipla master Sondheim's Gilbert-and-Sullivan shtick, delivering champion vocals). On the other hand, the yuks don't fit as naturally in 'Chrysanthemum Tea.'
Catey Sullivan, Windy City--"Toward the end of the first act of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures, an unexpected death dominates a scene that should be one of the musical's emotional lynchpins. But in Porchlight's production of the intricate musical, it contains only a wisp of truth. Instead of immersing the audience in anguish, the scene highlights the fundamental shortcoming of director L. Walter Stearn's ambitious staging."
All My Love, Diamante Productions
Albert Williams, Reader--"This hyperintelligent but emotionally dysfunctional family--and the outsiders drawn into their twisted mind games--are portrayed with convincing spontaneity by a fine ensemble under Braden Lubell's direction. But the acting can't sustain the tedious, overplotted script for this patience-taxing soap opera."
Megan Powell, Time Out--"Though the actors are adept and spirited, especially [Megan] Gotz and [Bridgette] Pechman as the twins, the characters are built precariously upon their ability to spout quick retorts and slick academic facts. By the time their inner demons do show up, it's considerably difficult to see Ellen (a too-young Megan Keach) as more than a haughty, analytical bitch who's messed up her equally overbearing kids and her helpless boyfriend (Tony Fiorentino). Though the play's most straitlaced character, a hopeful high-school geometry teacher named Hallie, does inject some energy into the proceedings with a clear motivation (and a charming, unaffected turn by [Arianne] Ellison), the show's still by the textbook--full of information and, ultimately, predictable."
Horses at the Window, Trap Door Productions
Kerry Reid, Tribune--"Director Radu-Alexandru Nica's cast, particularly Tiffany Ross as the daughter and John Gray as her pixelated father, deliver fearless performances over every inch of the shoebox venue, even spilling out the window, and the Romanian director harnesses the manic pace with a sure hand. But the repetitions on the theme start to feel a little rote after a while, especially on the heels of Trap Door's similar fall production, Torben Betts' The Unconquered."
Tony Adler, Reader--"Although directed by Romanian guest artist Radu-Alexandru Nica, the production's highly stylized, expressionist excess is pure Trap Door. The giddy, sexy exhibitionism of it all can be thrilling--as when the increasingly inimitable Beata Pilch works an array of variations on the hand clap as the mother, or the athletic, Beat-cool Stokvis runs up a wall as the son, or Tiffany Ross's daughter climbs on her hulking father/messenger, John Gray. A counterpoint to all of them is wan, delicate Holly Thomas, half naked and bowing her rich-toned cello while John Kahara's husband raves about the creative power of war."
Kris Vire, Time Out--"Director Nica, a fellow Romanian, gives Horses an astoundingly creative, evocative staging. Freewheeling but deceptively precise, Nica's remarkably physical production--as much a dance piece as a play--teeters gleefully on the edge of extravagance. His six cast members commit thoroughly and admirably to the reality of their surreality. In a play full-to-bursting with striking visual metaphors, the pas de trois among Kahara, Thomas and a cello is first among equals."
Fabrizio O. Almeida, New City--"It's a robust piece of zany theater that has been directed with flirtatious aplomb by Romanian guest director Radu-Alexandru Nica, who has expertly exploited his actors' bottomless reserves of energy, suppleness and breath control. Not surprisingly then, the tension throughout the evening isn't so much dramatic as it is physical...All three vignettes establish clear relationships and tug-of-war power struggles, but only the third one--featuring tour de force performances by Trap Door company members Holly Thomas and John Kahara--comes closest to conveying some emotional stakes. But since it's the final movement of the evening, it sends the audience home with a sense of payback."
Brian Kirst, Free Press--"Using props such as dripping water, baby powder and a cavalcade of boots and shoes, the cast reacts with dexterity and an underlying emotional truth. As the daughter, Tiffany Ross' floor bouncing striptease is as potent as her powerful anger and regret. John Stokivis' son is a commanding marvel. He treats the stage like his private gymnasium while showing us the true fear and confusion of a man-child about to be sent to the battlefront. The rest of the cast echoes the intrinsic commitment of Ross and Stokvis while founder Beata Pilch grounds the entire production with her humorous, technically layered and adventurous performance. All help us reexamine the bloody consequences of battle with a titillating frenetic touch.
A Perfect Wedding, Circle Theatre
Kerry Reid, Tribune--"The wacky factor in A Perfect Wedding, Mee's third in a series of plays about the unconventional family of Maria and Frank gets out of control early on in Joanie Schultz's staging of the Midwest premiere for Circle Theatre, and it reaches head-splitting, histrionic proportions in the second act. A cast of 20 brings plenty of raw energy to the proceedings, but Mee's love of whimsy for its own sake adds a lot of fat to the fluff. And unlike Sarah Ruhl, another playwright often dinged for her love of the fanciful, Mee doesn't really have a strong visual or metaphoric sensibility. It's all speechifying, all the time--except for the occasional mud fight or Bollywood dance number."
Jack Helbig, Reader--"Director Joanie Schultz enlivens this essentially plotless evening with a strong, energetic cast whose every member performs with verve and riveting urgency. When my focus flagged during those overlong bits--mainly in the first act--Jessica Kuehnau's playful costume design and Bob Knuth's gorgeous set provided a little eye candy."
Zac Thompson, Time Out--"Given its large cast and tricky stagecraft, the script is an ambitious undertaking for the moderate resources of Circle Theatre. Unfortunately, it doesn't always pay off in Schultz's production. She shoots for controlled chaos, but often--especially in several unfocused scenes with a dozen cast members or more on stage at once--she just gets chaos. Frenetic performances only add to the confusion, underscoring the script's lack of an emotional center."
Lawrence Bommer, Free Press--"Mee's latest cultural collage also couldn't be more relevant to the same-sex marriage debate. Joanie Schultz' superb communal staging puts all 20 actors in place and at a pace to suit these rampaging viewpoints passing as conversation...The four ingenious "queer-eye" wedding planners are up to anything, including their own nuptials, and the show culminates in a glorious "Bollywood" dance number (kinetically choreographed by Kevin Bellie) that's as much excitement as any circulatory system can survive."
Scott C. Morgan, Windy City--"Circle Theatre at least tempers any dissatisfaction with the play itself by putting on a largely diverting production. The large cast of 20 (!) scampers around with purpose and dedication under Joanie Schultz's competent direction, seemingly having a fun time throwing "mud" (damp scads of fabric) at each other and executing a complex Bollywood film dance number near the end."
Quote of the Fortnight:
"There are no shallows in this unguided tour of hip-hop music and dance. It's all deep water, and in my ignorance I mostly sank."--Laura Molzahn reviewing I Still Love H.E.R. (attributetohiphop) in the Reader.