We’ve all seen so many adaptations and incarnations of all
the greats. And we all know it gets repetitive, redundant and more times than
not completely superfluous and vein.
The plot is literally that of the Seagulls, except in the end of this one, we don’t know if Conrad kills himself. Christopher Sears plays Conrad and he is hands down, one of the most captivating individuals you will lay your eyes on this entire season. His intensity and passion never falters, almost as if he’s running a marathon the duration of the show. Every moment, every subtlety you pick up on because he has your constant attention. Bianca Lochtefeld plays his mother, Emma, and she is absolute perfection, delivering a monologue in the second act that chills you to the bone. Joey Parsons as Mash is hilarious; totally nailing and epitomizing the over the top “poor me” Chekhovian female.
Davis McCallum’s staging could not be more perfect or powerful, utilizing a unique space to the fullest. His meta approach both invites and isolates you. Sandra Goldmark’s set design was so visually stimulating and truly allowed you to focus on whats being said and whats not being said in an environment that made us feel that we were all in a play together. Her concept for act one was vastly different than act two, mirroring the point that act one is merely a rehearsal, act two is life.
Then a “sort of” adaptation comes along and changes how you
see and experience the classics forever. And how does it begin?
…with yelling at the actors to “start the f^cking play!”
Stupid F^cking Bird is so damned refreshing. Not only does
it brilliantly satirize Chekov-isms, but it has such amazingly powerful
statements about the theatre we patronize today. Each and every scene is
littered with asides of incredible statements and ideas that physically punch
you in the gut, and when you’re thinking about them late (because you can NOT stop talking about them), you have
that moment of: Holy crap. Were they experiencing this in the 1800s too?
The plot is literally that of the Seagulls, except in the end of this one, we don’t know if Conrad kills himself. Christopher Sears plays Conrad and he is hands down, one of the most captivating individuals you will lay your eyes on this entire season. His intensity and passion never falters, almost as if he’s running a marathon the duration of the show. Every moment, every subtlety you pick up on because he has your constant attention. Bianca Lochtefeld plays his mother, Emma, and she is absolute perfection, delivering a monologue in the second act that chills you to the bone. Joey Parsons as Mash is hilarious; totally nailing and epitomizing the over the top “poor me” Chekhovian female.
Davis McCallum’s staging could not be more perfect or powerful, utilizing a unique space to the fullest. His meta approach both invites and isolates you. Sandra Goldmark’s set design was so visually stimulating and truly allowed you to focus on whats being said and whats not being said in an environment that made us feel that we were all in a play together. Her concept for act one was vastly different than act two, mirroring the point that act one is merely a rehearsal, act two is life.
This
is one not to miss. Something this honest, raw and thought provoking only comes
around once in a blue moon. Run to go catch this stupid f^cking bird before another
play shoots it out of the sky.
Review By: Brittany Goodwin
Photos By: Russ Rowland
| |||
No comments:
Post a Comment