"The Beautiful Beautiful Sea Next Door" at The Gloria Maddox Theatre
“The Beautiful Beautiful Sea Next Door” By Annah Feinberg Directed by Barbara Harrison At The Gloria Maddox Theatre Reviewed by David Roberts, Chief Critic Theatre Reviews Limited
Riffing, or re-telling a mythological tale is not an easy task and the effort is fraught with potential pitfalls. One misstep and the riff reeks of missing the mark. Annah Feinberg’s concept of reimagining the relationships between Poseidon, Medusa and Pegasus as an attempt to “understand the awesome complexity of our reality” is commendable and fascinating. The concept here is more admirable than its execution on the opening night of “The Beautiful Beautiful Sea Next Door.”
Poseidon fathered more than fifty children including Pegasus after Poseidon’s tryst with Medusa on the floor of a temple to Athena. Some of Poseidon’s sexual conquests involved other deities; however, some of his children were the results of sexual conquests involving mortals. A creature that lives on both land and sea and is indiscriminate in his appetite for sexual conquest is the perfect choice for a play that attempts to “dramatize tension internal to each of us between our self-hating weirdness and our self-hating normalcy.”
Apparently, the character of the Hairdresser in the play is the extended metaphor for “understanding the awesome complexity of our reality.” Unfortunately, the choices made in the portrayal of this character slammed on my brain’s brakes and I stopped caring about what was transpiring on stage with the rest of the characters or their important conflicts. I do not know whether Ms. Feinberg envisioned the Hairdresser to be replete with the horrific stereotypes actor Aaron Berk exhibited or whether it was the egregious mistake of director Barbara Harrison. I choose not to believe that it was the choice of Mr. Berk.
Whoever conspired to characterize the Hairdresser in this way, the result was the kind of bullying Jay Stull alludes to in his dramaturgic note. In short, the stereotyped portrayal bordered on being offensive not only to any gay audience members, but hopefully to all audience members.
The rest of the cast performed admirably although the characters remained flat throughout and never moved beyond caricatures. Nick Lehane’s charming performance most closely approached embodying the angst experienced in the process of separation and individuation.
There was probably more to enjoy in “The Beautiful Beautiful Sea Next Door.” However, this critic had to spend too much precious cogitation on the character of the hairdresser to allow him to experience anything else.
Final thought. Family and friends of cast and creative team attending an opening night (or any night) of a performance need to respect the culture of the theatre: come on time; quietly take your seat; stay OFF of the sacred space of the set; reserve time AFTER the performance to meet, greet, hug, and kiss everyone in sight. This nonsense (including one family/friend parading around with an umbrella bedecked drink after entering the theatre 10 minutes late) might have spoiled everyone else’s chance to sit in the dark and risk having disbelief suspended.
THE BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL SEA NEXT DOOR
“The Beautiful Beautiful Sea Next Door” is presented by EBE Ensemble. Artistic Director: Eric Alba; Executive Producer: Cynthia Rogers; Producer: Meredith Dixon; Director: Barbara Harrison; Associate Director: Jay Stull; Scenic Design: Adam Kaynan; Costume Design: Amanda Jenks; Lighting Design: Tsubasa Kamei; Sound Design: Joshua B. Jenks; Props Design: Lauren Genutis; Fight Director: Turner Smith; Stage Management: Julia Borowski; Wardrobe Supervisor: Mary Margaret Powers; Casting Director: Rachel Maran; Publicist: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.
CAST: Michael Altieri (Poseidon); Aaron Beck (Hairdresser); Yasha Jackson (Medusa); Nick Lehane (Pegasus).
“The Beautiful Beautiful Sea Next Door” will run at the Gloria Maddox Theatre, 151 West 26th Street, 7th Floor, in New York City for eleven performances on the following schedule: Tuesday-Saturday at 8pm; Saturday, July 28 at 3pm and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by visiting www.brownpapertickets.com.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Sunday, July 22, 2012
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