[NEohioPAL] Berko review: ANTEBELLUM @ Cleveland Public Theatre

[Roy Berko]

*Thought provoking ANTELBELLUM at Cleveland Public Theatre*

* *

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association & Cleveland Critics Circle)



In 1939, Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American to win an Oscar for
her portrayal of Mammy in GONE WITH THE WIND.  She was also the first
African American to be an invited guest to attend the Oscars.  Ironically,
she was required to sit alone at the back of the Cocoanut Grove, the site
of the award ceremonies, a far distance from the white performers in the
movie.



Berlin in the 1930s was a hotbed of decadence.  There were over 160 gay and
lesbian bars and nightclubs.  The use of drugs, prostitution, cross
dressing and other lifestyle choices were in vogue before the rise of the
Nazis.



It is against these two backdrops that Robert O’Hara’s ANTEBELLUM, which is
getting its regional premiere at Cleveland Public Theatre, is set.



The play is part mystery, part romance, and an adventure that bridges
together religion and race in a time of hatred.  Its underpinning is
expressed in the director’s notes in the program:  “As I see [U. S.]
conservative extremists gaining momentum, I often have the same fear that
Gabriel shares in the play, ‘The majority remains quiet..And it is the
minority…which strikes the match.’”



We watch as the scenes switch back and forth between a Southern plantation,
a Berlin cabaret, and a concentration camp.  We find Gabriel, a Black
American cabaret singer as he transitions from entertainer and the lover of
a Jewish Southern American male (Ariel Roca) who is in Berlin “on
business,” to becoming a companion to a Nazi officer (Oskar von Schleicher).




Meanwhile, in Atlanta, there is much decadence surrounding the world
premiere of the movie GONE WITH THE WIND.  Into the southern setting steps
Edna, who arrives unexpectedly at the home of Ariel and Sarah Roca.   Yes,
the same Ariel that we saw in Berlin.  Why is Edna there?  What havoc will
her appearance cause?  Time will tell, and the results are shocking and
illuminating.



O’Hara’s script is well crafted, but a bit melodramatic.  It’s
appropriately written in both the genre of the overdone romance movies of
the 30s, combined with mystery approaches of the films of that same era.



The CPT production, under the direction of Beth Wood, generally works.  Staged
in a runway theatre configuration, with the audience on both sides of the
stage, set up in the middle of the Gordon Square Theatre, Wood’s stage
design allows for easy flow between various settings and keeps the audience
close to the action.  The major flaw is that the theatre’s high ceiling and
hard walls causes echoes and difficulty in clearly hearing the words.  The
backs of the performers are constantly turned away from one part of the
audience or the other.  The actors make straight line stage crosses, rather
than the traditional figure-8 eights used for this type of staging, which
would have opened them to the audience.  This, plus the southern drawls and
German-American accents, makes clear hearing problematic.



Nicholas Sweeney as Gabriel, the cabaret singer, effectively develops his
tightrope walking roll, moving from show boy, to lover, to medical
experiment, with clarity.  Dana Hart is properly both horrific and tender
as the German commandant, who acts against the principles of the theories
of the master race with his love for the Black, gay Gabriel.   Laurel
Hoffman clearly carries the audience on a journey asking whether she is a
ditz, crazy or a manipulator as Sarah, the southern belle and unfulfilled
convenience wife of Ariel.  Mark Rabant is believable as the conflicted
Ariel.



Only Audrey Lovy, as Edna, fails to develop a real character.  She stays on
the performance surface, using forced physical movements and unmotivated
vocal idea development.  Lovy doesn’t make us understand her real torment.  The
program credited-acting coach needed to work on this.



Sarah’s GONE WITH THE WIND gown, as created by Melanie Boeman, is one of
the season’s costume highlights.



*Capsule judgement:  ANTEBLELLUM is a production well worth seeing.  It is
a thought provoking piece, which gets a very good production at CPT.***



ANTEBELLUM runs through March 10.  For tickets call 216-631-2727 or go on
line to www.cptonline.org.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.neohiopal.org/pipermail/neohiopal-neohiopal.org/attachments/20120226/0c005e91/attachment-0003.htm>