519 Reviews as of : 03/06/2010

mwycks@nyconstage.org


Bach at Leipzig by Itamar Moses is an enjoyable work though not an especially good one. The cast is having a lot of fun and thereby extension so does the audience, particularly if you're a fan of not only the Marx Brothers but moreso the Zucker Brothers. It's that kind of humor with some Moliere, Wycherly, and Stoppard mixed into the 18th century music compositions and competition.

The famous music master/mentor, Kuhnau, has died at the famous Thomaskirche (how many of you knew them to be famous or knew them at all?) and his buckle shoes must be filled. All of the notable applicants - former students, wannabes, prodigies as well as famous musicians - arrive and all are named either Johann or Georg. (Luckily they have differing middle names.) As expected, they all have their reasons why they should be the one to inherit the position and their arguments take us on a journey of the arts. In a conspiratorial melee of plots and promises, one candidate, the aging Georg Friedrich Kaufmann, buffoon that he is assumed to be, has been convinced that he, happening upon the many intrigues, is watching the rehearsals of a play. Of course, he is the one who asks and at times answers the most probing and convoluted questions of the evening - and they are the big ones like should one be conservative or liberal.

Mr. Moses knows his subject, and his message about the reinvention of the arts in order to handle life's ever-recurring problems through the ages is a heartfelt one. But the simple set-ups of his work on which hang tons of verbiage can't support the weight. One waits for the progressions to play out. This fugue often is only a two-step and the low-brow, silly humor far outshines its counterpart.

Still, one can't help but have a fun ride and this is due in large part to the cast. Boyd Gaines, whom I've always felt was over-rated, has become a fine actor, his voice having developed into a rich baritone and his knowledge of how a scene should be played on the mark. Michael Emerson, another over-rated performer, finds his character's transitions and arc with a sleight of hand that is ultimately moving while never missing its humor. The evening's funniest pair is easily Richard Easton, sweetly daffy in his simplicity and Reg Rogers with his put-upon breathless and surprising timing. They are laugh-out-loud enjoyable. Andrew Weems takes a long time to warm up to his role but he eventually gets there, and Jeffrey Carlson pursues a bizarre take to find his character's comedy but ends up only being bizarre. However, it's a game try.

Pam MacKinnon's direction falls into the playwright's traps and could have used more craft in evading them, yet she smartly allows her actors a wide berth to experiment and find the things needed to enliven what could have possibly been a bore.

Mathew J. LeFebvre's costumes quickly tell you something about each character wearing them while David Zinn's set and David Lander's lighting produce just enough atmosphere. The trip to the New York Theatre Workshop is always a worthy one.

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