According to Lincoln Center's new LCT3 project at its slogan, it takes "New Audiences for New Artists." It also takes new critics, hence the establishment of Theater Talk's New Theater Corps in 2005, a way for up-and-coming theater writers and eager new theatergoers to get exposure to the ever-growing theater scene in New York City. Writers for the New Theater Corps are given the opportunity to immerse themselves in the off-off and off-Broadway theater scene, learning and giving back high-quality reviews at the same time. Driven by a passion and love of the arts, the New Theater Corps aims to identify, support, and grow the arts community, one show and one person at a time.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Woyzeck

Ryan Nicholoff and Dena Kology in Woyzeck
Photo by Emily Owens PR

Reviewed by Cindy Pierre
[See also: Jason Fitzgerald's review]

Many liberties are taken in Counting Squares Theatre's production of Woyzeck, but most of them are not for the best. In this version of Buchner's work, the setting has moved from Germany to Iraq and the Midwest. But things start to get a little too creative: Woyzeck's (Ryan Nicholoff) madness, brought on by the damages of war, is represented by an Andrews Sisters-type trio that function more as harpies and burlesque performers than the harmony group that is known for entertaining troupes. These talented singers look like something out of a Tim Burton film (great costuming by Karen Walcott), but end up dominating the show so much that the wartime drama becomes a poor musical. Although the cast is full of spirit and energy, the show is oversexed and doesn't come close to the social commentary on poverty that the unfinished play intended (or, at least what analysts have concluded). Instead, it inserts inappropriate humor into serious circumstances, and turns chaos and confusion into hushed whispers that are echoed.

The production includes the original content about poverty—Woyzeck earns extra money for his unfaithful girlfriend, Marie (Dena Kology) and his illegitimate baby by taking part in medical experiments like living on an all-pea diet and performing menial tasks for his Captain (Aaron Kirkpatrick)—but these scenes don't have the impact that they should to get the audience to understand his plight. Even the theme of poor people lacking morals because of their poverty gets lost in the numerous song and dance numbers. And the murder scene, the climax of the show, falls flat due to poorly conceived staging by Joshua Chase Gold. Woyzeck may be marginally entertaining, but its relevance to Iraq and present economic issues such as rising gas prices is moot, beyond the notes on the playbill. Sometimes sticking to the meat of the script is better than getting carried away by the trimmings.

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Woyzeck (80 minutes, no intermission)
Under St. Mark's (94 St. Mark's Place, NY, NY)
Tickets: $23
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