|
||
|
Disclaimer:
The reviewers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheatreLouisville.org. |
Reviews Bunbury Theatre presents Reviewed by Keith Waits Entire contents are copyright © 2009 Keith Waits. All rights reserved.
It seems every company has a holiday show, and some companies are fond of doing the same show each year, reinforcing the season of ritual with one of their own: restaging a beloved play that sparks the yuletide spirit in theatergoers. For Bunbury Theatre, that touchstone is an unusual and irreverent pastiche of the nativity story by noted American playwright William Gibson, most famous for writing The Miracle Worker. The unwieldy title is the first clue that this is not your grandmother's Christmas play: The Butterfingers Angel, Mary & Joseph, Herod the Nut & the Slaughter of 12 Hit Carols in a Pear Tree. The script is a mockery of every well-intentioned but amateurish, church-staged nativity pageant you have ever seen, with liberal doses of ribald, slapstick comedy and just enough pretension to avoid being quite as light as a feather. In many ways, it strikes me as the perfect choice to express Bunbury's offbeat artistic mission, and a suitably tart antidote to the sugary confections that can be found on other area stages at this time of the year. The story follows the traditional structure of Joseph and Mary's trek to Bethlehem and the manger full of animals, but devotes most of its time and energy to fleshing out the central characters in very unconventional ways. The angel Gabriel is a bumbling, neurotic klutz; Mary is brash and bossy, and Joseph is a mensch of an older man who pines for Mary. They are surrounded by a host of broadly drawn supporting roles, including a sheep, a cow, a recalcitrant donkey, three kings who are lost without a road map and a marvelous tree who cannot say "No." In truth, while I welcomed the unorthodox take on traditional religious motifs, this production doesn't quite find the big laughs it is seeking, although it was fitfully amusing. The loose pace and some good comic bits from some of the players give the whole thing a rambling charm, but it seems a minor work from this playwright. Still, I like the way poor Gabriel is beaten to a pulp throughout the first act for the sake of slapstick; the fact that one of the Three Kings is depicted as Elvis (get it?), the way in which Mary and the donkey share the same burdensome stride in their walk; that Joseph has the vocal rhythms of a Catskill comic; the manner in which the omniscient "Man in Grey" is suggestive of so much but never quite defined in any certain terms. The cast includes the always reliable Ted Lesley as Joseph, Leah Roberts charming the audience as Mary, Neil Brewer providing a commanding, if well-abused Gabriel, Matt Orme alternating quiet, understated force as the Man in Grey with a strange and unbalanced Herod, and Dale Strange stealing the show as the donkey. Karen Faulkner was a delightful and statuesque Tree, with one key exchange with Mr. Orme proving to be the finest acted moment in the evening, while Mike Seely and Mike Burmester delivered gruff and underplayed buffoons that were comic gems. These two Mikes just seemed to be having a very good time indeed. The remainder of the eager cast was the adorable Hannah Shelby, Maddie Lentz, Jessica Neamon, Dennis Grinar and Kate Barry.
The Butterfingers Angel, Mary & Joseph,
Herod the Nut & Presented at the Henry Clay Theatre December 3 - 20, 2009
Posted December 4, 2009
|
|