"Canon in D Minor" at The New York International Fringe Festival
“Canon in D Minor” at The New York International Fringe Festival By Jessica Liadsky Directed by Rachel Slaven Reviewed by David Roberts and Joseph Verlezza, Chief Critics Theatre Reviews Limited
All things Johann Pachelbel become all things Jessica Liadsky in her “Canon in D Minor” currently playing at La MaMa’s First Floor Theatre as part of the New York International Fringe Festival. A canon is a musical composition in which three voices play the same music, entering in sequence. There is a fourth voice, the basso continuo which supplies harmonic structure to the whole. This is the ostinato. Pachelbel’s now popular 1694 canon remained unknown until it was discovered and first published at the close of World War I in 1919.
Three actors play the same music of friendship, loss, and forgiveness entering in a brilliantly choreographed sequence: the friendship of Katherine and Beth; the loss Beth feels when her friend Kath commits suicide; and the forgiveness of self which occurs when the “music of friendship” dissolves the denial, anger, bargaining, and guilt of bereavement into the less obvious fourth voice ostinato of forgiveness.
The creative process remains a mystery. What is known is that when creative minds align and collaborate on a specific project the end result is nothing less than brilliant. A confirmation of this theory is “Canon in D Minor” whose synchronicity brings the audience to its feet with an emotionally charged performance. No part of this collaboration can be singled out for its outstanding contribution for, like a canon itself, it would be nothing without the sum of its parts.
The three actors, Suzy Jane Hurt, Eryn Murman, and Brittany Parker brilliantly navigate the stage with precise, purposeful, and intelligent choreographed movement. Alone they are remarkable, each striking a different chord, amazingly able to morph into characters with the slightest facial nuance or physical shift in posture. Together as one, they inhabit the souls of their characters and their hearts beat with the rhythm of spoken word. All are truly captivating. At one point they share the stage with the voice of a single violin, quickly joined by another (skillfully played by Sarah Hund and Elena Moon Park) immersing the audience into an emotional kaleidoscope that is spellbinding. They are directed, conducted, and inspired by Rachel Slaven who deftly exposes the profound and sensitive work written by Jessica Liadsky. These critics thank the cast and the creative team for engaging our minds, touching our hearts and reminding us how powerful the experience of the theatre can be.
Sometimes musicphiles focus intensely on structure, rhythm, tempo, and timbre when listening to music. Perhaps “Canon in D Minor” re-teaches us to allow ourselves to be “lost in the melody of friendship and swallowed in the song of forgiveness.”
We see “Canon in D Minor” sharing a Broadway stage in tandem with another of Jessica Liadsky’s plays. Hopefully, the Manhattan Theatre Club is one step ahead of that vision.
CANON IN D MINOR
Presented by The New York International Fringe Festival and Emily Hammond. Directed by Rachel Slaven. Lighting designed by Amanda Clegg Lyon; sound designed by David Corsello.
WITH: Suzy Jane Hunt; Eryn Murman; Brittany Parker; and violinists Sarah Hund and Elena Moon Park.
All performances take place at The First Floor Theatre @ La MaMa, 74 East 4th Street (between Bowery and 2nd Avenue). Tickets are available at www.fringenyc.org or 866-468-7619. $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Senior and Fringe Junior tickets available at the door for $10. Running time: 55 minuteds with no intermission.
Remaining Show Dates Sunday, August 12th @ 7:00 pm Sunday, August 19th @ 5:45 pm Monday, August 20th @ 5:00 pm
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Sunday, August 12, 2012
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