Return to AARO
Known for their experimental plays and musicals, shows of the type that would ordinarily have never been produced in Phoenix by established companies, In Mixed Company and producers Kevin Kerrigan, Katie McFadzen and Scott Withers have done it again. Their latest offering, "Hello Again," is a darkly steamy musical by Michael John La Chiusa that is the kind of theatre fare rarely seen, even in well-established theatre towns.
Based on the famed-and-infamous play "Reigen," or it's better-known French title, "La Ronde" by Arthur Schnitzler, the musical is presented in ten scenes that represent a different decade in America from 1900 to 1980. In each scene are two lovers who pine for their ideal, and face the realities of love and sex. Each scene is interlinked as one person from the scene stays to play the same part in the next scene, though in a different decade. It's a beautiful and ironic device, such as when the self- absorbed screenwriter from the 70's falls in and out of love with a young man, then portrays a self-absorbed screenwriter from the 20's who falls in and out of love with a silent screen star, who then, in the next scene, is a movie star/mistress who tries to win the affections of an all-80's Senator.
Common themes run throughout this rich text, such as the constant search for the ideal lover, the dread of fatality as a call for living for the moment, and the ultimate lack of satisfaction by the end of the actual sexual act. Be warned: the play has no actual nudity, but portrays the sex act rather believably, even to the point of simulated copulation and oral sex.
Jean Thomsen, ariZoni-winning director for last season's In Mixed Company smash "Five Women Wearing the Same Dress," is in top form once again, guiding this experimental musical with the sure hand of a professional. Where many directors would look for an out when faced with scenes where a sailor takes a prostitute against a wall while she sings of searching for the perfect love, Ms. Thomsen decides to let the audience blush from the frankness of the situation, and see past it to the themes of pleasure and betrayal beyond. It's the more difficult, but worthy choice.
The ten cast members, without exception, are wonderful, presenting the frank sexuality and crooning their lovely and forlorn lyrics all the while. Most of the voices are wonderful, and those few whose voices are not up to the professional quality of the rest of the cast are able to act their way through their songs in a fully-acceptable trade-off. There are no real standouts in this ensemble, though Teresa Springer as The Whore and Myiia O. Watson-Davis as The Nurse are perfect examples of the well- executed balances of singing and acting, smoldering and betrayed. That is not to say that the others do not bear mentioning, it's just that the perfection of their blending makes it impossible to point out any legitimate weaknesses. The only (very slight) problems in the program came with the presentation of JoAnn Yeoman's fluid and modern-based choreography, which the cast at times fudged and misstepped. Also, while the five piece orchestra, directed by Ren Anderton, were generally on, there were moments where the music drifted away from the singers and situation, though not enough to disrupt the magic of the evening.
In the true spirit of experimentalism, Kraig Blythe's scenic design consists of scrims and projections, each befitting the scenes portrayed, from the 30's movie theatre in which The College Boy and The Young Wife pointedly ignore the Astaire/Rogers movie, to the projections of sea and icebergs while The Husband and The Young Man consummate their love as the Titanic sinks below them. William Magee's lighting, Crel Vogel's costumes and Bill Osborne's sound are all wonderful, and blend together to strengthen this superb show.
There will be some who will be embarrassed or outraged by the sexual themes and actions that take place on the stage. Even I gave an embarrassed titter on occasion as some of the situations presented themselves. If you can get past the sight of a woman on her knees before a young man in a movie theatre, or two men graphically grinding with projections of lava lamps to either side, there is so much to discover within this dark and poignant show in which the longing for an ideal lover often ends in a pointless, sometimes cruel act of sex. Despite the darkness and sometimes outright cruelty that accompanies the embarrassed reflections after these sexual actions are taken, the show ends with a hopeful and somewhat positive sentiment. The evening comes full circle with a meeting between the ill-used prostitute and the cynical Senator. As with life, this show seethes beneath the surface, and it would be unfortunate for anyone to miss the action for the actions.
Production Details:
"Hello Again" by Michael John La Chiusa
In Mixed Company
Third Street Theatre, Phoenix
252-8497
February 6-February 22, 1997
Return to AARO