Kelly Aliano
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The Music of Love "Something's Got Ahold of My Heart"
“Do you believe in love?” These were the first words
I heard upon entering the First Floor Theater at LaMaMa. From just
this short query, two things immediately became clear: one, the
audience would somehow be an active part of the world of this play;
and two, that matters of the heart would likely be the central theme.
On both of these counts, the play did not disappoint. “Something’s
Got Ahold of My Heart,” Hand2Mouth’s current creation
at LaMaMa, charmingly engages its audience on the theme of love.
However, to a large degree, the production is not quite a sum of
all of its parts; individual moments of the play are delightful,
but the overall effect is hard to ascertain, as much of the content
appears unrelated or disconnected. There is no plot per se to “Something’s Got Ahold of My Heart.” Rather, the play is made up of a series of scenes, all performed by the same six ensemble members, but in different roles. Each scene is loosely or specifically about relationships, most commonly either their beginnings or their endings. The focus is often on two performers—portraying a particular couple, often about whom the audience knows little to nothing—while other members of the company interrogate them, asking things like: “What was the last thing you said to him?” or “How did that make you feel?” The other players also often give those on whom attention is turned certain instructions of what actions to perform.
Indeed, physicality is a key aspect of the world of the play,
but unfortunately, it is also perhaps the play’s weakest element.
All of the performers are quite funny with their text, blending
the appropriate levels of humor and pathos into the vignettes being
presented. However, when aspects of the stories are meant to be
told through the body, it is often difficult to follow what is meant
to be happening on stage. The precision of the text does not carry
through to the gestures and positions of the physicality, making
it seem at times random. There is also a lot of on-stage business:
the picking up of props and the donning or taking off of costume
items, as well as the moving of set pieces. Although the aesthetic
of the production matches the youthful spirit of the performers,
all of this on stage activity can be distracting. Despite this,
the energy of the performers remains high throughout, keeping the
audience engaged.
TITLE: Something's Got Ahold of My Heart |
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