[NEohioPAL] Berko review; THE INTERNATIONALIST @ convergence-continuum

[Roy Berko]

Convergence continuum’s THE INTERNATIONALIST is a
linguistic challenge
 
Roy Berko
(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)
   
--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--  
Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times            
 
--coolcleveland.org
 
There’s Spanish, German, Hebrew and Italian.  Now there is Washburnspeak.  
 
Much of The Internationalist, a play now in production at convergence
continuum,is spoken in a language that is alien to the ear, yet
has a strange familiar authenticity.  Every once in a while a Yiddish, English or French word pops
in making the listener assume that what is being said makes sense.  Forget it.  It’s author Anne Washburn’s linguistic invention.  To make matters even more interesting,
or frustrating, depending on your point of view, is that there are no super-titles. 
 
The wisp of a plot centers on Lowell, an American on
a business trip.  We don’t know
what the business is, where he is, or why he is there.  In fact, by the time the play is over,
depending on your imagination, you might not even know why you went to see this
play.  
 
Lowell is met at the airport by Sara, a beautiful
assistant from the company he is visiting.  After spending a night of supposed amour, the real adventure
starts.  The task is figuring out
what’s going on.  Is their internal
robbery, international espionage, insider trading, terrorism?  Who knows.  As it turns out, who cares.
 
Originally conceived as a one-act, cc’s production
is a newer two-act version which takes about one-and-a-half hours with a ten
minute intermission.   It
matters not.  The play misses out
on a wonderful chance to take on the typical American who goes to foreign lands
with little or no knowledge of the verbal and nonverbal customs of the area and
expects the natives to adjust to the ego-centered American.   Or, possibly to show the
difficulty of communication.  Washburn doesn’t accomplish either of those goals.   If you want to see that well-developed, go to New York and
see CHINGLISH. 
 
The convergence cast is good.  Especially considering that most of
their lines are gibberish.  It’s
hard to take cues when the lines don’t make sense, or play off each other when
the understanding is missing.  Tom
Kondilas (Lowell), Laurel Hoffman (Sara), Geoffrey Hoffman, Laura Starnik, Ray
Caspio, and Robert Hawkes all try hard to make sense of what they’ve been
given, and put up a valiant but unfortunately losing fight.
 
Capsule
Judgement:  Convergence-continuum’s Artistic Director Clyde Simon is noted
for often picking off-the-wall plays.  THE INTERATIONALIST is way off.  So much so, that one can only ask what, except its obtusenesss, Simon
saw in this script.
 
THE INTERNATIONALIST runs December 17 at 8 pm
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through at convergence-continuum’s artistic
home, The Liminis, at 2438 Scranton Rd. in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood.
For information and reservations call 216-687-0074.
 
Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info.  His reviews can also be found on www.coolcleveland.com and www.NeOHIOpal, while special features appear at http://artsamerica.org.
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