CROYDEN'S CORNER
by Margaret Croyden
At the House of La MaMa
"A Sudden Draught,"
Written and Directed by
Guy Shelley (closed)
"The Taming of the Shrew"
by William Shakespeare,
directed by Andre Serban (through November 15)
La MaMa etc. 74A East Fourth Street
New York, N. Y. 10003
212-475-7710
Reviewed by Margaret Croyden
After thirty-six glorious years, Ellen Stewart's La MaMa is still functioning and still presenting unique theater pieces unavailable any other place. Not only has Ms. Stewart traveled the world over to find important artists, but she herself has directed and produced various theatrical works in the third world, in central Europe, and in Asia, and in remote places that few companies have played, more less traveled. Cultural pluralism and ethnic diversity are inherent in Ms. Stewart's esthetic. And she has never faltered in her beliefs. In October, she presented two extraordinary works, "A Sudden Draught" written and directed by Guy Shelley, director of "Theatre Espace Acteur" in Paris, and Andre Serban's version of Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" (running until the middle of November), with actors from Columbia University's Theater department of which Mr. Serban is a leading acting teacher.
These two pieces, are in direct contrast to each other. The work of Guy Shelley, whose play was co-directed by Dora Petrova, is in the French classical mode, though it is presented in English (translation by Arlette Barbary and Jeremy Drake) while Serban's "Shrew" is the opposite: his is a rowdy, wild, crazy satire that could only be directed by Serban who has the nerve, the wit, and the imagination to carry it off.
Let me begin with "A Sudden Draught," a play of ideas. Two actors dominate the stage. One is a dancer who is trying to rehearse his steps; the other, a cripple who has spied him through a window, and intrudes into the dancer's studio, and subsequently into his life. They have several psychological and philosophical exchanges about art and creativity, as well as the meaning of loneliness in a loveless world. In lively but sometimes esoteric discussions, both men quarrel and challenge each other's attitudes. The dancer defends his compulsive, rigid habits in perfecting his art; the other, relishes life's sensuality, despite his physical handicap. Eventually, the men are drawn together in friendship and sympathy and, in the end, come to understand and find comfort in each other.
The strength of this production depends on the relationship between the two performers, Olivier Raynal and Christopher Goodman (American actors living and working in Paris) and their ability to hold the stage despite the verbal marathon. With a minimum of action, each actor carefully develops his character by adding specific details to convey the differences between the two men. Skillfully, they infuse the evening with a certain tension and intrigue--a difficult job in a play that depends so much on talk. But the unique quality of the production is its ability to capture one's attention despite its loquaciousness that paradoxically produces an inner quietitude. One such moment is a scene in which the men imagine they are swimming, the climax of their relationship. It is played in total silence, but the body work of the actors is so superb that the scene became a totally emotional moment. The original music by Jean-Marc Pasquer and the recorded music by Stevie Wonder added to the essential intrigue and mystery of the play.
One of the fascinating aspects of this production is its experimental quality. The production is scheduled to play in Bulgaria, with two Bulgarian actors; in Japan, with two Japanese actors; and in Paris with two French actors. The different casts will explore the different possibilities in the play and each will interpret the piece from his point of view. The American version at La MaMa was the first phase of this experiment. It is interesting to note that only at La MaMa can such an enterprise be presented and encouraged. But this is typical of Ellen Stewart.
The first thing that can be said about "Taming of the Shrew" is that it is daring. And a stunning surprise from the director who just recently presented us with a pristine "Cymbeline" in the park. From the almost classical staging of Shakespeare's "Cymbeline," to this wild and witty "Shrew," Serban demonstrates an amazing versatility. Only a brilliant director like Andre Serban could have dreamed this up. For he throws all caution to the wind and gives vent to a hilarious, inventive deconstruction of the "Shrew" without ruining Shakespeare's intent. Serban uses every device at his command: buffoonery, cartoon characters, farcical stereotypes, Marx Brothers zaniness, cross dressing, cross gender casting, contemporary references, surrealist and pop images and even Cole Porter's music from "Kiss Me Kate." To his credit, he has a wonderfully skilled company of young people, his students from Columbia University Theater department. It is indeed hard to image that this superb cast are students; many of them, will surely have splendid professional carers.
The work is full of sophisticated detail, complicated body work, and endless comments on the idiocy of the characters and their lusts, desires, and foolishness. Katherine (Alanna Medlock), dressed in a devil's outfit--red leggings, red top hat, carries a whip, and marches around screaming insults. Bianca (Maha Chehlaoui) is a simpering fool at the start and a nasty bitch at the end. Petruchio (Eliot Angle) is a cross between Harrison Ford and Sam Shepard in looks and sexiness. He and Kate engage in a fierce battle staged in a prize fighting ring; Petruchio wears a rubber suit that exaggerates his body parts--a la superman-- while Katherine carries her ever present whip. Engaging in a fierce body battle, the actors show off their amazing physical prowess.
Since "Taming of the Shew" is considered a problem play, Serban had a problem. Not wanting to do the play, written in the 1500's, in a conventional manner, he chose to upgrade the work for contemporary audiences. How to do this and carry it off? One way is to use every modern device at his disposal: cell phones, video camera, trucks, rock music, kinky costuming, comic strips, and countless other images and props that he hoped would be meaningful metaphors to convey what he considered to be the play's intention. In a program note, he claimed that "Kate undergoes a painful journey in 'Shrew'" which purges her of unnecessary anger and vitriol which, in Serban's judgment is necessary for "a new kind of marriage and union." Plainly, this is a novel approach to the play, and whether this concept works is in the eye of the viewer.
The night I saw the piece, the audience was enthralled, loved the crazy antics, and seemed not to care about, or notice any underlying philosophical notions that Serban postulates. It was a good show, funny, carefree, and crazy, full of the magic of the theater--the work of a truly gifted director, and a cast of young people equally gifted. The audience was plainly enchanted. Especially was it a pleasure to watch young people so full of energy and life, and to see them give new meaning to an old story. Serban and his cast must be given full credit for reinterpreting this old chestnut so brilliantly. Hats off to him and his students! And to Ellen Stewart--the La MaMa who makes such evenings possible. [Croyden]
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