RENASCENCE--Previews

The Transport Group's musical about Edna St. Vincent Millay, the poem that made her famous and some of the relationships in her early life. With Mikaela Bennett, Hannah Corneau, Jason Gotay, Danny Harris Kornfeld, Katie Thompson and Donald Weber, Jr. Score by Carmel Dean, book by Dick Scanlan, Lyrics by Edna St. Vincent Millay. At the Abrons Arts Center.

I walked in knowing very little about Millay--either her life or work. I did not know Renascense at all. I classified her a Lady Poet--prim and tidy couplets about flowers and sunsets. Wrong, wrong and wrong.

This is the story of a headstrong, pan-sexual woman. Manipulative, sexually adventurous and unapologetic. That she lived a century ago makes her an icon for the Queer and Feminist communities. That I didn't know any of this is, I suppose, an indictment of our educational curriculum.

By turns funny, moving, bawdy and steamy we follow our heroine from the home she shares in Maine with her mother and two sisters on to Vassar and to Bohemian stardom in Greenwich Village. Along the way are the men and women who recognize and are inexorably drawn either to her immense talent or powerful charisma (or both) and whom she, in turn, loves or uses (or both).

When one of her sisters complains "We don't know you any longer" Vincent replies "to know my work is to know me".This show makes that idea its premise (brilliantly, in my opinion)--all the lyrics are Millay's own poetry or correspondence. In some cases--a poem about a reunion with her long-estranged father--it is clear the lyric was penned in response to the scene we are witnessing. In other cases, it is unclear (to me) whether the poem is "about" the specific event or person or if Scanlan has arbitrarily chosen to use a poem to illuminate and comment upon a situation. Either way, the words provide a multi-layered emotional texture to almost every scene.

All the performers--save for Corneau as Vincent--play multiple roles. All are excellent. Bennett is particularly strong and is given some of the more powerful moments but everybody has a chance to shine and all are up to the mark. All the men are called upon to play women at some point--Gotay and Webber get to romp as a pair of Vassar students ("Kathy with a K" and "Cathy with a C" )and Kornfeld plays *only* women--Vincent's sister and Caroline Dowd, an early and crucial supporter.

The staging is simple--a bare stage with tables and chairs moved by the performers. Music is lovely and ably performed by an off-stage orchestra of eight musicians. Sound & lighting are unobtrusive and effective.

I really enjoyed this show. If you are inclined to see it--and are not familiar with 'Renascence'--I recommend you find the text and read it through a couple of times. The lyrics to that work reverberate throughout the show and even a passing familiarity would be beneficial. If you're already a fan of Millay, just buy a ticket!

In previews through the 25th. Discount tix at Theatermania.

Updated On: 10/8/18 at 12:51 PM

The corner of Grand and Pitt isn't *everybody's* idea of Paradise, certainly.

I keep waiting for some food option down there other than that one, desolate pizza place (had a pretty decent slice last night). I'm waiting,too,for Abrons to open a food/drink concession. Seems like such an obvious income opportunity, but I'm sure NYC doesn't make it easy to sell food.

Neighborhood and food aside, I've had some Peak Experiences at Abrons and even the less-than-stellar events have been above-par. In fact, it was the fact that it was at Abrons that led me to choose Renascence last night when I wanted a last-minute ticket to a show.

Updated On: 10/7/18 at 02:39 PM

Gorgeous singing, incredible cast, tells the story of the poet Edna St Vincent Millay. How she enters a poetry contest and wants to win the grand prize, some people she meets along the way in her life, her mom & dad, her wanting to go to Vassar, etc. Some gender & color-blind casting too. Last 20 minutes is when the audience is told to go into seats on the stage (a gorgeous "wonderland" where the seats are painted sky blue and there's green grass on the stage, etc).

And it's really easy to get to - just a 5 minute walk down East Broadway, if you exit from the East Broadway/Rutgers St exit of the "F" train. That puts you at East Broadway & Rutgers/Ave A, and the theater is just around the corner from East Broadway & Pitt St/Ave C (make a slight left from East Broadway and you'll run right into Grand St/Pitt St). It's a super-easy walk to go from Avenue A to Avenue C.

Updated On: 10/9/18 at 11:53 PM