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Review
Boozy: The Life, Death, and Subsequent Vilification of Le Corbusier and, More Importantly, Robert Moses
45 Bleecker St Theatre
May 24, 2005
Morgan Wycks.
mwycks@nyconstage.org
Boozy: The Life, Death, and Subsequent Vilification of Le Corbusier and, More Importantly, Robert Moses presented by Les Freres Corbusier is exactly what its title announces. How it does this is enjoyably wicked, and this young theatre group, despite its inherent need for the sophomoric, cleverly and incisively hits many of its marks. On a set by David Evans Morris with its dehumanizing nod to Corbusier, a large cast goes about demonstrating what goes wrong with city planning, from design for the masses to community board interferences to ultimately the paranoid conspiracy that World War II was instigated to destroy cities in order to rebuild them.
Le Corbusier (Daniel Larlham) is portrayed as an innocent genius doodler who rarely seems to have his feet on the ground and subsequently is seduced and manipulated by the likes of Churchill, Goebbels, and Mussolini - even FDR gets into the picture. Corbusier's girlfriend, Jane Jacobs, angry about his lack of attention and growing indifference to her, as well as his naïve willingness to be used by fascist leaders, decides to expose him as an insane charlatan. But the war ends, dagnabbit.
So we move to New York City (Manhattan!!) where Robert Moses (Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum) gets hold of Le Corbusier's ideologies and implements them without foresight of their potentially devastating results (that bridge and tunnel crowd). As self-appointed "commissioner" of city planning, with Mayor LaGuardia turning a blind eye, Mr. Moses becomes egomaniacally as fascistic as the recently defeated Axis Powers, and it's not until Nelson Rockefeller and a relocated Ms. Jacobs see what's happening that they put a stop to him for ulterior reasons of their own. Too late - we're stuck with his messes.
The production moves from a laid-back, stand-up-comic intro to rigorously staged musical numbers (nifty songs by Douglas J. Cohen and delightful Devo-esque choreography by Katherine Profeta) through to SNL type skits, film noire-ish intrigue, courtroom drama and Robert Wilson staging, all with a far-reaching arc that almost makes sense. There are some jokes that fall flat and a couple of routines that could use better concepts, especially the sequences involving LaGuardia and his spastic rent-boy aide, but most of the time when the gimmicks (absurd supertitles, filmed faux interviews, actor-rabbits, live-action video) begin to pale, the creators smartly cut them off.
The talented cast seems to be having a blast and there is one stand-out - Nina Hellman as Ms. Jacobs - not to mention those rabbits. The evening I attended, the lights came up on one such rabbit vigorously cleaning itself and it became clear where Le Corbusier and Moses got their inspiration for mass multi-dwellings. With one sweep of the stage, you'll see stuffed bunnies in their modern Le Corbusier habitats and the fear of one day living in warrens, if we're not already, is all too chilling. end... |
