What Peter Brook wrote about eloquently in his book The
Empty Space, reminds us that “…
theatre defies rules, builds and shatters illusions, and creates lasting
memories for its audiences.” Hopefully, this shall always be true. Brook’s production of A Midsummer
Night’s Dream did that, as did his Dr. Faustus, many years ago at the
Ahmanson. Defy the rules: create
lasting memories.
 |
| Robert Joy and Eve Gordon Photo by Kevin Riggen |
Waiting at the box office I heard the ticket seller say,
“Oh.. Back Again!” to the woman in front of me. It’s not a surprise that lovers of theatre may return again
and again. This is a landmark
production.
THE UGLY ONE by Marius
von Mayenburg (translated by Maja Zade) and directed by Ensemble Studio Theatre
LA Creative Director Gates McFadden exemplifies what can happen when all of the
elements of Theatre are drawn together properly. It’s the chemistry of casting excellent actors in a well
written play creating a collaboration of artists which, with luck and skill
become a perfect ragu! That’s what a great production is,
after all: quality ingredients prepared with loving care by artists who know
what they are doing.
Our ensemble for The
Ugly One: Robert Joy, Eve Gordon, Tony Pasqualini and Peter Larney, each
protean and truly enjoying the play, transform flawlessly as story emerges. A
brilliant engineer (I think) has created a wonderful widget and is looking
forward to doing a presentation to a conference of potential buyers. He learns that he is just too ugly to
make the pitch. Hilarity ensues!
 |
| Tony Pasquallini, Robert Joy, Peter Larney Photo by Kevin Riggen |
The small audience sits is a space hardly bigger than an
average living room. At what might be considered ‘rise’ (there is no curtain),
the actors haul their props and costumes out of four Banker Boxes at one end of
the tennis court style stage. We are now engaged! It’s big and loud and funny and brash and silly and moving
and mean and deep and superficial.
This smaller space is a big change for Ensemble Studio
Theatre LA and it just goes to show that all dedicated theatre people ever need
is a space and a passion. The
passion, of course, resides within each member of this company (and in this script, too), including
fantastic projections by Hana Kim and beautifully simple sets and costumes by Ms
Kim and Catherine Baumgardner. The
"turn off your cell phone" admonitions are personal. The cast is a smoothly running machine.
The Ugly One (is
beauty in the eye of the beholder or in the skills of the surgeon who starts
with the nose because it sticks out further on the face?) is a play for those who love the
challenge of being swept along practically in a stream of consciousness. Lines
flow musically. Every beat is crisp and clear: A Dance. Smooth as
silk. Four actors embody eight different characters. The character's names don’t change: The Ugly One/Lette: Robert Joy, Jenny: Eve Gordon, Karlmann:
Peter Larney and Tony Pasqualini: Scheffler. It’s never problematic to observe the
characters change from boss to surgeon, from assistant to son, from wife to old
woman. (Eve Gordon’s limp steals the show!). Only Joy as Lette sticks to his
character from start to finish, though evolving from The Ugly One to the Handsome
One Who Argues with Himself. The dialogue is fluid and funny. Theatre on a
tennis court. Expert and at least a near masterpiece. ESTLA and director Gates McFadden have
created a Space and a Passion. The
Ugly One is a must see for anyone who truly loves theatre and appreciates watching
an ensemble that knows its business inside out.
"THE UGLY ONE"
BY MARIUS
VON MAYENBURG
ENGLISH
TRANSLATION BY MAJA ZADE
DIRECTED
BY GATES McFADDEN
FEBRUARY
15 — MARCH 31, 2014
SATURDAYS
AT 5PM & 8PM
SUNDAYS AT 7PM
(ADDED
PERFORMANCE SUNDAY 3/16 AT 4PM ]
MONDAY AT 8PM
Tickets:
www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org
323 611 1929
Speakeasy
3269 Casitas
Los Angeles, CA 90039
No comments:
Post a Comment