Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Freakshow

Theatre Vertigo **Photo credit: Elizabeth Eve**
April 17 - May 16, 2009

Review (amended) by peanutduck

Non-exploration of Freakshow’s end-of-an-era bearing upon present-day morality relegates production to mundane, though still interesting. Amy Newman (impeccable casting), cold, pragmatic, beautiful human torso, grabs attention while remaining performances incompletely invested. Composer Pete Bogh’s Philip Glassian bluegrass carnival compositions + Ben Plont’s sound design, pitch-perfect. Costume, make-up designs visual treats.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Taking nothing from Ben's sound design, which is excellent if I do say so myself, the music is all original by Pete Bogh.

- Tom

peanutduck said...

Thank you so much, Tom. I (obviously) missed that credit.

Anonymous said...

I thought this show was amazing! Have seen it twice, because once was just not enough. I thought Amy Newman and Garland Lyons gave superb performances. The amount of nuance and subtlty in Amy's face was astounding.

jam.es said...

this is hands down my favorite show this season.

really stellar design. in particular: the set was terrific - i felt like i was in the world of the play from the moment i walked into the space. and the music was very evocative and moving. (even the preshow speech was excellent!)

the acting was very impressive, highlighting and exploring the range of Vertigo's company. i was especially impressed with Amy Newman (expressing so much with so little), Nathan Gale (walking a fine line with a character that could have easily leapt over the top) and Kerry Ryan (who has a monologue that is simultaneously heartbreaking and hilarious), but really: kudos all around.

and all under the mature, assured direction of Tom Moorman.

with a title like 'Freakshow,' i did not expect a work so subtle and moving. it's a fragmented piece that trusts its audience to stick along for the ride: it shows you what you need to see and lets the progression in the characters fill in the gaps.

my favorite show of the season, and my favorite work by Theatre Vertigo. ever.