[NEohioPAL]Berko review and preview: THE LARK (Caeser's Forum); ON THE RECORD (Palace)

[Roy Berko]

‘THE LARK’ AT CESEAR’S FORUM, ‘ON THE RECORD’
PREMIERES AT PALACE

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	

‘THE LARK’ DOESN’T FLY WELL AT CAESAR’S FORUM

Jean Anouilh was a member of the existentialist
movement that emerged during World War II. 
Existentialists believed that a person's identity is
realized by making choices and taking responsibility
for one's actions.  It is therefore logical that
Anouilh became fascinated with Joan of Arc.  His
interest eventually led to his writing, ‘L'ALOUETTE’
(‘THE LARK’) in which he examined Joan as a person,
her relationship with the church, and the choices she
made that eventually led to her being burned at the
stake. 

Lillian Hellman wrote an adaptation of ‘L'ALOUETTE’
only two years after its original production.  There
had already been a moderately successful
English-language version of the play by Christopher
Fry that was performed in London but  Fry's version
was literary and philosophical.  Hellman’s interest in
Joan of Arc was from a political and feminist
perspective. This stimulus was, at least in part,
stimulated by Hellman’s 1950 appearance before the
House of Representatives Committee on Un-American
Activities. It resulted in her being blacklisted.   As
one Hellman expert states, "The theme of a woman being
coerced by the state to testify to things she was
unwilling to say had a rather direct connection with
Hellman's own experience at the time."

‘THE LARK’ presents the trial and life of Joan of Arc.
It reveals her life as a play within a play.  The
production begins with a day at her trial.  Joan
reenacts the important scenes of her life such as the
message of the Voice which instills in her a mission
to save France.  She then relates how she persuades
Robert de Beaudricourt to provide her with soldiers
and a horse to go to the Dauphin's court and how she
successfully implores the Dauphin to put her in charge
of the French army. After each one of the vignettes
from her life, the ecclesiastical court bombards her
with theological questions.  

Joan eventually submits to the judgment of the Church
to renounce the voices, the bearing of arms, the
wearing of the soldier's uniform and to accept a
sentence of life imprisonment to do penance for her
sins. In prison, she repudiates her confession.  She
states, "But every once in a while a lark does appear
in your sky and then everything stupid and evil is
wiped out by the shadow of the lark. . . .”

Although THE LARK ran on Broadway for more than 229
performances many consider not the writing, but the
performances of Julie Harris, Christopher Plummer, and
Boris Karloff as the key elements that contributed to
the theatrical success. 

‘THE LARK’ is a difficult play to perform on two
levels.  The play is all words, with little action,
and the entire meaning must be conveyed with the
representational performances.  This, plus the
interplay of Hellman's American anti-fascism and
feminism as superimposed upon Anouilh's existentialist
vision, makes for difficulty for actors and directors.

Unfortunately, Cesear’s Forum is not up to the either
the technical nor acting requirements.  As Joan, Laura
Borgione captivates, at times, but fails to maintain
the mood throughout.  She is too mature for the role,
sounding like someone with experience beyond the
youthful years of Joan.  The rest of the cast also
fails to fully develop their characters.  Michael
Larochelle’s set makes for awkward blocking, often
finding the actors walking the edges of the platforms
like tight-rope walkers.  The minimalistic lighting
instruments caused many dark spots.  Aimee Kluiber’s
costumes added little realism to the production.

Cesear’s Forum production of ‘THE LARK’ neither soars
nor sings and that’s too bad for in this stressful and
frustrating political climate, there are many lessons
to be learned from the play. 

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  ‘THE LARK’ is a very difficult
play to produce.  Though they give it a valiant try,
Caesar’s Forum just doesn’t have the depth of acting
nor the technical necessities to pull off a stellar
performance.

For tickets to the production, which runs through
December 11 at Kennedy’s Down Under at Playhouse
Square Center, 1501 Euclid Avenue.   Call
216-241-6000.


‘ON THE RECORD’ MAKES WORLD PREMIERE AT THE PALACE
THEATRE

After 74 years in the making, Disney’s newest musical
‘ON THE RECORD,’ is in its world premiere at Playhouse
Square Center’s Palace Theatre.

‘ON THE RECORD’  celebrates more than 64 beloved songs
from the Disney catalogue -from both animated classic
films AND Broadway productions-- including ‘THE LITTLE
MERMAID’, ‘ALADDIN’, ‘TARZAN’, ‘THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE
DAME’, ‘SLEEPING BEAUTY’, ‘DUMBO’, ‘PETER PAN’,
‘PINOCCHIO’, ‘LADY AND THE TRAMP’, ‘CINDERELLA’ and
‘SNOW WHITE.’

For those who want to learn more about the production,
Playhouse Square Foundation’s Education Department is
hosting several programs that are free and open to the
public.   These include post-show chats with the cast
on Thurs. Nov. 11 and Thurs. Nov. 18 following each
performance.  They will be held in the upper lobby of
the Palace Theatre. 

‘ON THE RECORD’ is at the Palace Theatre now through
November 21st. Performance times are Tuesday through
Friday evenings at 7:30 PM; Saturdays at 1:30 & 7:30
PM; Sundays at 1 & 6 PM.   For more information go to
www.playhousesquare.com.


=====
Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source, which can be subscribed to at no charge by contacting neohiopal at lists.fredsternfeld.com.


		
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