#1
Posted: 12/29/07 at 5:46pm
Art isn't easy, as Sondheim once wrote. All Flaminio Scala wants is to be remembered. Flaminio Scala is an artiste, leading The Glorious Ones, a traveling troupe of Commedia dell'Arte players around France and Italy, inventing the damn thing as he goes along.
Unfortunately, as far as we know, Scala did not invent the many stock characters which have gone down through the years. We know little of Scala, Franceso Andreini, or Isabella Andreini, the "real" characters. In fact, we know less about them then we do the characters they intereacted with - Dottore, Pantalone, Columbina.
THE GLORIOUS ONES, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, and Graciela Daniele's musical, based on the novella by Francine Prose, is a noble misfire. In fact, it's a very noble misfire. The problem is simple: Prose's novella (which can be read in, like, an hour) has very little a story arc. It's a series of narritives, with various characters describing their interactions through life, in honor of Scala, while warning what seems to be the newest Glorious One.
It's an incredibly dark tale. Unfortunately, darkness is sacrificed for comedy in this adaptation. Also, unfortunately, the style of the novella, telling, and not showing, has been incorporated.
And the problem with THE GLORIOUS ONES is that it tells, and doesn't show. Nearly entirely narration, it's just downright boring. Thank goodness that Daniele has directed everyone to act around the narraction, and that is pretty amusing.
Part of the problem is the rearrangement of crucial plot points - I got the impression that Francesco was trying to force Flaminio out of power for years, long before Isabella joined. On stage, it seems like he got the idea just after reading Isabella's play. Aramanda, in the novel, was desperately in love with Flaminio. Adding an arc for Columbina on stage, making her the one in love with Flaminio, was a decent touch, but, more importantly gave way to Natalie Venetia Belcon's exquisite performance.
AhrensandFlaherty's score is nothing to sing over...a few pretty songs, nothing entirely memorable. If it says anything, I walked out humming "How Do You Choose?" from Wildhorn's Dracula. Go figure.
Thankfully, the cast does their best to salvage the material. John Kassir is a master mime, Erin Davie's voice is gorgeous (though the wig does nothing for her), and Marc Kudisch, a true leading man, second to Brian Stokes Mitchell in this generation, is a wonderful ham.
They do their best, but even they can't over come the stinkbomb. That's two misfires this season, LCT. South Pacific better be incredible.
Unfortunately, as far as we know, Scala did not invent the many stock characters which have gone down through the years. We know little of Scala, Franceso Andreini, or Isabella Andreini, the "real" characters. In fact, we know less about them then we do the characters they intereacted with - Dottore, Pantalone, Columbina.
THE GLORIOUS ONES, Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, and Graciela Daniele's musical, based on the novella by Francine Prose, is a noble misfire. In fact, it's a very noble misfire. The problem is simple: Prose's novella (which can be read in, like, an hour) has very little a story arc. It's a series of narritives, with various characters describing their interactions through life, in honor of Scala, while warning what seems to be the newest Glorious One.
It's an incredibly dark tale. Unfortunately, darkness is sacrificed for comedy in this adaptation. Also, unfortunately, the style of the novella, telling, and not showing, has been incorporated.
And the problem with THE GLORIOUS ONES is that it tells, and doesn't show. Nearly entirely narration, it's just downright boring. Thank goodness that Daniele has directed everyone to act around the narraction, and that is pretty amusing.
Part of the problem is the rearrangement of crucial plot points - I got the impression that Francesco was trying to force Flaminio out of power for years, long before Isabella joined. On stage, it seems like he got the idea just after reading Isabella's play. Aramanda, in the novel, was desperately in love with Flaminio. Adding an arc for Columbina on stage, making her the one in love with Flaminio, was a decent touch, but, more importantly gave way to Natalie Venetia Belcon's exquisite performance.
AhrensandFlaherty's score is nothing to sing over...a few pretty songs, nothing entirely memorable. If it says anything, I walked out humming "How Do You Choose?" from Wildhorn's Dracula. Go figure.
Thankfully, the cast does their best to salvage the material. John Kassir is a master mime, Erin Davie's voice is gorgeous (though the wig does nothing for her), and Marc Kudisch, a true leading man, second to Brian Stokes Mitchell in this generation, is a wonderful ham.
They do their best, but even they can't over come the stinkbomb. That's two misfires this season, LCT. South Pacific better be incredible.
Updated On: 12/29/07 at 05:46 PM
