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Sep. 8th, 2013 09:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skygiantsThe playbill that we read described this weekend's musical production of The Tempest in Central Park -- starring Norm Lewis, several gifted professional comedians and singers, 250 or so New Yorkers from various community performance ensembles, and three taxi drivers -- as being inspired by the idea of a "community masque" from 1916 called Caliban by the Yellow Sands, which in turn was inspired by courtly masques of the sixteenth century, which for those unfamiliar mostly involved lots of music, dancing and pageantry strung together by a plot. There was also a lot of very earnest language about theater INVOLVING THE COMMUNITY and people SEEING THEMSELVES REFLECTED ONSTAGE which I will admit moved my heart, because YES.
Anyway,genarti and littledust and I looked at this description, and then we looked at the list of community groups that had been invited to participate, and said, "This is going to be either AMAZING or COMPLETELY INCOHERENT . . . and where the hell are they going to fit in the Taxi Driver's Union?"
So the show plunges right into an epic number about Ariel raising the storm, accompanied by a local taiko ensemble and a bunch of tiny enthusiastic drowning sailors ranging in age from about ten to twenty.
(Later, Gen and Kelsey both said they were a little about this song and the fact that the sailors did not seem to know whether they were drowning with the ship or attacking it.
I said I did not care, because OMG THE LITTLEST MOST ENTHUSIASTIC SAILOR WAS HAVING THE BEST TIME *___*)
Then we go to Prospero -- Norm Lewis, with FULL AMAZING GRAVITASand still distressingly hot -- and Miranda -- who was very pretty and who I am pretty sure came from a local high school. We get the bit where Prospero explains the backstory, slightly changed so that the King of Naples is now QUEEN ALONSA with her treacherous sister SEBASTIA, who swaggers around in Elizabethan breeches and a ruff. ZERO OBJECTIONS HERE.
Then Prospero showcases his casual abuse of power by sending Miranda to sleep with a snap of his fingers and goes off to chat with Ariel.
Most of the changed language in the play comes from Ariel, who is played as completely out of time. He's all modernized eye-rolling flamboyance, while Norm Lewis opposite him gets every last measure of gravitas and numinous magic out of the original Shakespearean language. This sounds kind of weird at first but it actually works amazingly well.
Ariel also has a bunch of air sprites -- New Yorkers of all ages, in an AMAZING conglomeration of neon dresses, checked jackets, bright-colored wigs and snazzy bowler hats -- who follow him around into most of the scenes. They spend a lot of time clustered around the various human characters giggling at them, at which point Ariel usually takes the time to remind the other characters, "WE'RE INVISIBLE."
Of some relevance: Ariel is white; most of his air sprite chorus of "the island's inhabitants" are not; this could lead to unfortunate historical implications except that all of Prospero's royal family are black, and Queen Alonsa speaks with a notably Caribbean accent.
Anyway. So we get all the backstory and the explanation of Ariel's wish for his freedom and so forth, and then we get shipwrecked Ferdinand, another baby high schooler, who is promptly accosted by an enthusiastic gospel choir.
The scheming courtiers are off in another bit of the island, and they get accosted by a troupe of tiny ballerinas who twirl at them and then disappear.
Now that it has been established that all the humans on the island are EXTREMELY CONFUSED, we go back to Ferdinand, who meets Miranda and plays a scene of SUPER HIGH SCHOOL GAWKY LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT ADORABLE as only two actual high schoolers can (and all three of us try very hard not to sing "oh god, for shame, I do not even know your naaaaaame!" under our breath.) Then Prospero shows up crankily and drags Ferdinand away.
Back to scheming courtiers! Who attempt to plot MURDER and then are distracted by Ariel and his backup air spirits, who sing a song telling them to get over themselves. Then Ariel wanders off into a corner and attempts to have a pity party about not having his freedom yet, and his backup air spirits sing a song telling him to get over himself.
Caliban, in a genius move, is actually tackled by ACTUAL GIGGLING FIVE-YEAR-OLD AIR SPIRITS who run out and, like, pinch him all over and it is amazing. Then Stephano and Trinculo (two of the few professional actors in the cast) come out and reveal themselves to have amazing comic timing. I'm always kind of astounded when the Stephano-and-Trinculo plot turns out to be actually funny.
More adorably awkward Ferdinand-and-Miranda flirting before Prospero appears and FLIPS OUT, in a scene that reminded me more than anything of the Witch re: Rapunzel in Into the Woods. There's no "I'm secretly trying to hook Ferdinand and Miranda up!" plotline here -- this Prospero genuinely sees himself as apart from the UGH HUMANS, and genuinely has to deal with the fact that his daughter is going to move away from him one way or the other, and that's going to suck.
And just to remind us that HUMANS ARE TERRIBLE, we're back with the scheming courtiers, who are still scheming as the air spirits lead them to a banquet when SUDDENLY, AIR SPRITE MEXICAN DANCERS.
Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban are also plotting when they are abruptly ATTACKED BY A BRASS BAND that sends them flailing into the underbrush. This is extra hilarious because it leads into Caliban's "the island is full of noises" speech. INDEED. Noises like ACTUAL FREAKING TROMBONES. *____*
Prospero returns to sing a feelings-y song about Miranda that makes us all clutch our hearts because Norm Lewis can draw tears from a stone, and then decides he is okay with those two crazy kids getting together after all. Ferdinand and Miranda are promptly carried off by three very enthusiastic Taxi Driver's Union members huddled behind a tiny cardboard taxi. "We love young lovers!" announces Lead Taxi Driver, relishing his thirty seconds of fame to the hilt.
Ferdinand and Miranda are then married by a goddess and receive a hip-hop performance from a teen dance crew called "Generation X" in celebration.
Prospero looks like he's enjoying this until he gets the memo that Caliban & Co. are up to shenanigans, at which point he's like "ALL RIGHT KIDS PARTY'S OVER I'M PEACING OUT" while Miranda and Ferdinand blink at each other.
It's all right though, because Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban are too busy being distracted by more ballet dancers, this time rocking the MOST AMAZING SWAGGER I have ever seen in a ballet performance. While they gawp, another set of even tinier dancers sashay out and harass them with perfectly timed choreography. (Trinculo and Caliban hide; Stephano attempts dance camouflage. It does not work.) Eventually all the tiny ballerinas arm themselves with noisemakers and swagger themselves offstage, chivvying the comic relief before them, and at this point I am so delighted I FEEL LIKE I MIGHT EXPLODE.
Petty nuisances taken care of, Prospero sings another song in which he attempts to grapple with the big questions: ARE WE HUMAN OR ARE WE PROSPERO? For he had come to hate the world, this world which always hated etc. He delivers some more mellifluous Shakespearian and decides that he's feeling generous after all and everyone gets a BIG DELIGHTFUL MUSICAL FINALE full of TWO HUNDRED GLEEFUL NEW YORK SPRITES who have just entirely stolen the show, and know it.
I am so sorry that the show only lasted a weekend and so most of you will never get a chance to see it. But I so, so hope that they do as they implied they would and put on more shows like this one, which could have been totally incoherent and instead somehow came together in a glorious explosion of pageantry and joy and celebration of this city that I love and the people who live in it. Sometimes there is actually nothing better than two hundred people having the TIME OF THEIR LIVES onstage getting to showcase all the stuff they do awesomely well.
Anyway,
genarti and littledust and I looked at this description, and then we looked at the list of community groups that had been invited to participate, and said, "This is going to be either AMAZING or COMPLETELY INCOHERENT . . . and where the hell are they going to fit in the Taxi Driver's Union?"So the show plunges right into an epic number about Ariel raising the storm, accompanied by a local taiko ensemble and a bunch of tiny enthusiastic drowning sailors ranging in age from about ten to twenty.
(Later, Gen and Kelsey both said they were a little about this song and the fact that the sailors did not seem to know whether they were drowning with the ship or attacking it.
I said I did not care, because OMG THE LITTLEST MOST ENTHUSIASTIC SAILOR WAS HAVING THE BEST TIME *___*)
Then we go to Prospero -- Norm Lewis, with FULL AMAZING GRAVITAS
Then Prospero showcases his casual abuse of power by sending Miranda to sleep with a snap of his fingers and goes off to chat with Ariel.
Most of the changed language in the play comes from Ariel, who is played as completely out of time. He's all modernized eye-rolling flamboyance, while Norm Lewis opposite him gets every last measure of gravitas and numinous magic out of the original Shakespearean language. This sounds kind of weird at first but it actually works amazingly well.
Ariel also has a bunch of air sprites -- New Yorkers of all ages, in an AMAZING conglomeration of neon dresses, checked jackets, bright-colored wigs and snazzy bowler hats -- who follow him around into most of the scenes. They spend a lot of time clustered around the various human characters giggling at them, at which point Ariel usually takes the time to remind the other characters, "WE'RE INVISIBLE."
Of some relevance: Ariel is white; most of his air sprite chorus of "the island's inhabitants" are not; this could lead to unfortunate historical implications except that all of Prospero's royal family are black, and Queen Alonsa speaks with a notably Caribbean accent.
Anyway. So we get all the backstory and the explanation of Ariel's wish for his freedom and so forth, and then we get shipwrecked Ferdinand, another baby high schooler, who is promptly accosted by an enthusiastic gospel choir.
The scheming courtiers are off in another bit of the island, and they get accosted by a troupe of tiny ballerinas who twirl at them and then disappear.
Now that it has been established that all the humans on the island are EXTREMELY CONFUSED, we go back to Ferdinand, who meets Miranda and plays a scene of SUPER HIGH SCHOOL GAWKY LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT ADORABLE as only two actual high schoolers can (and all three of us try very hard not to sing "oh god, for shame, I do not even know your naaaaaame!" under our breath.) Then Prospero shows up crankily and drags Ferdinand away.
Back to scheming courtiers! Who attempt to plot MURDER and then are distracted by Ariel and his backup air spirits, who sing a song telling them to get over themselves. Then Ariel wanders off into a corner and attempts to have a pity party about not having his freedom yet, and his backup air spirits sing a song telling him to get over himself.
Caliban, in a genius move, is actually tackled by ACTUAL GIGGLING FIVE-YEAR-OLD AIR SPIRITS who run out and, like, pinch him all over and it is amazing. Then Stephano and Trinculo (two of the few professional actors in the cast) come out and reveal themselves to have amazing comic timing. I'm always kind of astounded when the Stephano-and-Trinculo plot turns out to be actually funny.
More adorably awkward Ferdinand-and-Miranda flirting before Prospero appears and FLIPS OUT, in a scene that reminded me more than anything of the Witch re: Rapunzel in Into the Woods. There's no "I'm secretly trying to hook Ferdinand and Miranda up!" plotline here -- this Prospero genuinely sees himself as apart from the UGH HUMANS, and genuinely has to deal with the fact that his daughter is going to move away from him one way or the other, and that's going to suck.
And just to remind us that HUMANS ARE TERRIBLE, we're back with the scheming courtiers, who are still scheming as the air spirits lead them to a banquet when SUDDENLY, AIR SPRITE MEXICAN DANCERS.
Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban are also plotting when they are abruptly ATTACKED BY A BRASS BAND that sends them flailing into the underbrush. This is extra hilarious because it leads into Caliban's "the island is full of noises" speech. INDEED. Noises like ACTUAL FREAKING TROMBONES. *____*
Prospero returns to sing a feelings-y song about Miranda that makes us all clutch our hearts because Norm Lewis can draw tears from a stone, and then decides he is okay with those two crazy kids getting together after all. Ferdinand and Miranda are promptly carried off by three very enthusiastic Taxi Driver's Union members huddled behind a tiny cardboard taxi. "We love young lovers!" announces Lead Taxi Driver, relishing his thirty seconds of fame to the hilt.
Ferdinand and Miranda are then married by a goddess and receive a hip-hop performance from a teen dance crew called "Generation X" in celebration.
Prospero looks like he's enjoying this until he gets the memo that Caliban & Co. are up to shenanigans, at which point he's like "ALL RIGHT KIDS PARTY'S OVER I'M PEACING OUT" while Miranda and Ferdinand blink at each other.
It's all right though, because Stephano, Trinculo and Caliban are too busy being distracted by more ballet dancers, this time rocking the MOST AMAZING SWAGGER I have ever seen in a ballet performance. While they gawp, another set of even tinier dancers sashay out and harass them with perfectly timed choreography. (Trinculo and Caliban hide; Stephano attempts dance camouflage. It does not work.) Eventually all the tiny ballerinas arm themselves with noisemakers and swagger themselves offstage, chivvying the comic relief before them, and at this point I am so delighted I FEEL LIKE I MIGHT EXPLODE.
Petty nuisances taken care of, Prospero sings another song in which he attempts to grapple with the big questions: ARE WE HUMAN OR ARE WE PROSPERO? For he had come to hate the world, this world which always hated etc. He delivers some more mellifluous Shakespearian and decides that he's feeling generous after all and everyone gets a BIG DELIGHTFUL MUSICAL FINALE full of TWO HUNDRED GLEEFUL NEW YORK SPRITES who have just entirely stolen the show, and know it.
I am so sorry that the show only lasted a weekend and so most of you will never get a chance to see it. But I so, so hope that they do as they implied they would and put on more shows like this one, which could have been totally incoherent and instead somehow came together in a glorious explosion of pageantry and joy and celebration of this city that I love and the people who live in it. Sometimes there is actually nothing better than two hundred people having the TIME OF THEIR LIVES onstage getting to showcase all the stuff they do awesomely well.
no subject
Date: 2013-09-09 10:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-09 01:34 pm (UTC)Sadly there aren't ANY pictures that I can find. I'm hoping they'll post some now that the show is over . . .
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Date: 2013-09-09 03:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-09 04:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-09 07:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-09 08:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-09 10:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-10 08:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-10 11:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-10 11:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-10 11:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-10 11:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-10 11:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-10 11:37 am (UTC)