“A Fable” at the Cherry Lane Theatre (Through Saturday June 28, 2014)
“A Fable” at the Cherry Lane Theatre (Through Saturday June 28, 2014) Written by David Van Asselt Directed by Daniel Talbott Reviewed by David Roberts Theatre Reviews Limited
"Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate" (“Here must all distrust be left behind; all cowardice must be ended.”) - Dante Alighieri, “The Divine Comedy,” Canto III, line 9 of “The Inferno”
One would think that with Dante Alighieri, Goethe, John Milton, Kurt Weill, T.S. Eliot, Arthur Miller, Tony Kushner (among others) in the house, nothing but a good time would be had by all. No so. The myriad allusions to the aforementioned greats and the usually reliable hand of Rattlestick’s David Van Asselt could not save “A Fable,” currently running at the Cherry Lane Theatre, from unintentional – one would hopefully assume – meaninglessness.
Attempting to gain street creds from the likes of the biblical Book of Job and Goethe’s Faust, “A Fable” pits heaven (Angela) against hell (Luke) in the eternal battle to win souls for their respective domains. Here the one tempted to do wrong and encouraged by his superego to do the right thing is Jonny (think ‘Surabaya’) a member of Operation Island Liberation (yes, O.I.L.) intending to ‘liberate’ the island of Tahooty a fractured trope for any target of the military-industrial complex (there’s even a Hallie Burton!). Jonny falls for Chandra, leaves Chandra to find her father – well that is enough plot for this review. It would have been more meritorious had the story line ended there.
One wonders what the intended audience is/was for this misdirected mélange: high school drama clubs; perhaps church youth groups. One also wonders what anyone/everyone on the creative team was hoping to accomplish by mounting this production. It could not be more ill-conceived or laborious. The actors’ names are not mentioned not to overlook their effort but to protect their innocence.
It was maddening to spend two-and-a-half hours (it seemed interminable) inside on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon with “A Fable.” Readers should not follow suit.
Normally, when spending time with any creative endeavor of the Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, this critic gladly leaves all distrust behind and without cowardice prepares to be moved to the core of my being. Not so with “A Fable.” I just desperately wanted to flee.
Rattlestick’s “The Few” has been extended through June 21. See that instead.
A FABLE
“A Fable” is a presented by piece by piece productions and Rising Phoenix Rep in association with Rattlestick Playwrights Theater.
The cast of “A Fable” is Edward Carnevale, Liza Fernandez, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Maxwell Hamilton, Jerry Matz, Hubert Point-Du Jour, Eileen Rivera, Pamela Shaw, Samantha Soule, Alok Tewari, Sanford Wilson, and Gordon Joseph Weiss.
Music for “A Fable” is by Elizabeth Swados; set design is by John McDermott; costume design is by Tristan Raines; lighting design is by Joel Moritz; projection design is by Kaitlyn Pietras; sound design is by Janie Bullard; fight direction is by UnkleDave’s Fight-House; hair and make-up design is by Caitlin Conci. The production manager is Dave Nelson; the production stage manager is Andrew Slater. Production photos are by Sandra Coudert.
“A Fable” plays Tuesday through Friday at 7pm; Saturday at 2pm and 7pm; and Sunday at 3pm at the Cherry Lane Theatre, 38 Commerce Street. There will be an added performance on Monday, May 19 at 7pm; there will be no performance on Friday, May 23. Tickets are $66 and may be purchased by visiting www.OvationTix.com or by phoning 866-811-4111. Tickets for those under 30 and theater artists are $26; student tickets are $21. For more information about “A Fable,” visit one of the following: www.piecebypieceproductions.org,www. RisingPhoenixRep.org, or www.rattlestick.org. Running time is 2 hours thirty minutes with an intermission.
Permalink | Posted by David Roberts on Thursday, May 22, 2014
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