Stupid Fu**ing Bird @ Pearl Theatre Company

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.

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

Uncle Vanya @ The Pearl Theatre

Chekhov's masterful way of exonerating a myriad of themes and emotions from the mundane is incredible. A director of such a piece as Uncle Vanya is not charged with presenting the brilliance of the play but emoting its undertones--bringing to life its very nature via his or her interpretations.

Uncle Vanya, as rendered by Artistic Director Hal Brooks at the Pearl Theater could have been more precise with one Chekhov's masterpieces. Relatable and almost satirical themes such as unrequited love, the never-ending search for happiness, taking advantage of hospitality and family, selfishness, jadedness, brilliance inundated by mediocrity, helplessness that change is impossible at an older age, and that death is the ultimate form of peace were all present in Hal Brook's rendition of the play. However, Scenic Designer Jason Simms, Costume Designer Barbara A. Bell, Lighting Designer Seth Reiser, Sound Designer M. Florian Staab and Hal Brooks did not share the same visions of Uncle Vanya.

The costumes were of the late 19th to early 20th century, but the speech was almost modern. The set had difficulty orienting the viewer. The sound of horses was barely audible in some scenes but powerful in others. These discrepancies created unnecessary noise that Production Stage Manager Kevin Clutz and Production Manager and Technical Director Gary Levinson could not manage.

Mostly, the cast was humorous and enjoyable; albeit loud. Ivan Petrovich (Vanya), played by Chris Mixon, had me laughing each time his red faced character barged in. Mixon conveyed an envious 47-year old convinced that he had despairingly dedicated his life to the wrong ideals with gusto.

Similarly, Mikhail Lvovich Astrov's (Bradford Cover) playfulness and smooth interaction with the cast was always welcome. Cover made the dichotomy of the brilliant, idealist doctor stuck in the sticks believable. Sonya (Michelle Beck), Vanya's niece, showed the folly of unrequited love, youth and plainness while eliciting a reaction between laughter and pity.

Ilya Ilych Telegin (Waffles) an impoverished neighbor with a knack for the guitar played by Brad Heberlee; Marina, the Eastern Orthodox and affable family nurse played by Robin Leslie Brown; and Mrs. Voinitsky (Carol Shultz), the intelligence worshipping and ashamed mother of Vanya aided the cast in rendering the air of a country farm arrested by its unruly house guests: a young wife Yelena (Rachel Botchan) and her husband, Vanya's brother-in-law, Retired Professor “His Excellency” Alexander Serebriakov (Dominic Cuskern).

Cuskern presented Serebriakov easily as the unknowingly self-absorbed academic. Contrarily, Botchan’s Yelena lacked chemistry with the cast. Yelena was not portrayed as the type of woman able to seduce an entire household with her charm. At times she even seemed awkward on the stage. 

In all, I certainly laughed and enjoyed my first Chekhov experience. Although, the magic from his captivating prose was not fully captured by Hal Brooks. 

Review By: Alexandra Lipari

Photos By: Al Foote III

The Rivals @ The Pearl Theater Company

False identities, miscommunications, and misspoken words drive the hilarious production of The Rivals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan at the Pearl Theatre Company.

The play, written in 1775, concerns the doings of Captain Jack Absolute (Cary Donaldson) who is wooing Lydia Languish (Jessica Love) under the assumed name of Ensign Beverly, a poor man. Lydia loves the adventure of eloping with a poor man, so what will she do when she finds out that Beverly is really Jack Absolute, a rich noble who her aunt, Mrs. Malaprop (Carol Shultz) actually wants her to marry. At the same time, Lydia’s cousin Julia (Rachel Botchan) is in love with Faulkland (Brad Herberlee), but his jealousy and general misanthropy is driving a wrench into their romance. Add a couple of colorful supporting characters, a few challenges of duels, and you have a hilarious farce.

The main delight of this show was the acting of all the performers, particularly when it came to the physicality of all the characters. Every character was distinct and had a unique physicality associated with each. Lydia was frequently languishing around and moping, punctured by exciting bursts of energy. The maid, Lucy (Joey Parsons) bopped along with short little strides and hops until she revealed her true nature and then became much more sly and natural. Faulkland would mope around the stage, while the more outrageous characters like Mrs. Malaprop and Bob Acres (Chris Mixon) would glide and boisterously move around the stage. The distinct physicalities really helped reinforce who the characters were and helped the audience keep them all straight in their minds.

Much of the excitement and humor of the show came from the superb directing by Hal Brooks. The staging was fresh and dynamic and really helped the pacing of the show keep moving, particularly in the long first act. One particular standout was a dramatic mood shift in the second act between the beta couple of Julia and Faulkland. The tone shift was wonderfully subtle and beautifully acted as well.

Another standout from the production side of things came from the costume design by Sam Flemming. In any period piece, the costumes are always their own characters, and these costumes were no exception. They were appropriately lush and fitting to each character. One particular detail I really liked was how Julia and Faulkland’s clothes had a similar pattern to them, signifying their compatibility.

My one critique of the show is that the dialects, coached by Nissa Perrott, didn’t seem entirely natural or consistent. Some characters were certainly more comfortable than others. In particular, Sean McNall’s Irish accent as Lucius O’Trigger was delightfully natural and accurate. Others were not, like Fag (Kambi Gathesha), who sounded more Jamaican than British.

All in all, The Rivals is a hilarious production with superb acting and directing and an amusing storyline. What else could you want from theatre?

The Rivals will be running at The Pearl Theatre Company until May 25th, on 555 West 42nd Street.

Review By: Chrissy Cody

No Exit @ The Pearl Theater

“Hell is other people” is a line from Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit which sums up the entire plot and feeling of the play itself.

The Pearl Theatre Company presents a translation of Sartre’s No Exit written by Paul Bowles, which is directed by Linda Ames Key, and starring Jolly Abraham (Inez), Sameerah Luqmaan-Harris (Estelle), Bradford Cover (Cradeau) and Pete McElligott (Valet). The show looks at the idea of Hell being just a room that you are trapped in…with other damned souls picked specifically to push your buttons.

It’s apparent right off the bat that all of the actors are highly talented and fully invested in their characters. All of the characters are distinctly unique from each other, from the way they stand and move to the cadences and rhythms of each of their speeches. Abraham (Inez) is very grounded and moves like a cat stalking her prey while always having fire in her voice. Luqmaan-Harris (Estelle) flits around the stage with an affected upper class quality to her voice. Cover (Cradeau) is loose and lugubrious with his body and sarcastic and unaffected in his speech. McElligott (Valet) makes good use of his limited stage time with a distant, no nonsense, clipped quality to his voice and physicality.  

One of the main problems of the play comes from the writing. Sartre was a philosopher as well as a playwright, so many of the characters lines end up being long lugubrious philosophical monologues, or long monologues examining life back on earth. While this is certainly part of style of the play, it made the show feel a lot longer than its relatively short length of 95 minutes. Things would considerably speed up and became more enjoyable whenever the characters were allowed to play with each other. But it depends on what we go to the theatre for. If it’s for entertainment, No Exit is a bit heavy. But if it is to examine our lives and see them reflected in a thought-provoking way, then No Exit is the right show to go see.

Part of the heaviness of the show comes from the very quick shifts of atmospheres and emotions. One minute, the characters will be flirting with each other, then they would be screaming and angry and then suddenly they were laughing once more. The shifts were a bit jarring, but that could have been the point the director Linda Ames Key, wanted to make. The intimate space of the theatre made the audience really feel each emotion, and felt very claustrophobic. But that’s what the characters are feeling as well.

The additional crew of No Exit includes: Technical Director and Production Manager Gary Levinson, Production Stage Manager April Ann Kline, Interim Artistic Director and Dramaturg Kate Farrington, Sound Designer Jane Shaw, Scenic Designer Harry Feiner, Lighting Designer Ann G. Wrightson, Costume Designer Devon Painter and Fight Director Rod Kinter.

If you want to see a show that really makes you think, No Exit is certainly not something you should miss. It will only be at The Pearl Theatre Company until March 30th.

Review By: Chrissy Cody
Photos By: Al Foote III