Man to Man

Man to Man

Brooklyn Academy of Music

2017 Next Wave Festival

BAM Fisher (Fishman Space)

November 11, 2017

Photo courtesy of BAM 2017 Next Wave Festival

Man to Man is a one character play presented by Brooklyn Academy of Music as part of the 2017 Next Wave Festival.  This German work, written by Manfred Karge, has been translated into English by Alexandra Wood.  Based on a true story, the play begins before the rise of the Nazi Party and ends after the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Directed by Bruce Guthrie and Scott Graham, the production originated at the Wales Millennium Centre in 2015, transferred to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and now can boast a sold out run at Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Photo courtesy of BAM 2017 Next Wave Festival

Following the death of her husband, Ella (played by Maggie Bain) takes on his identity in order to earn a living as a crane operator.  She buries him with her own name on his headstone, and takes his job as a crane operator.  She is torn between her desire to become a mother and her need to survive independently.  With the outbreak of the war it becomes difficult to go undiscovered, so she joins the Nazi army.  After the war, she continues to live secretly as a man, yearning to connect to her true self.

Maggie Bain is remarkable in this powerful piece of theatre.  Her physical strength, dexterity, and intensity are captivating.  She climbs the walls of the set, suspends herself from the ceiling, and creates tender moments of deep, personal longing.  Her vocal skill shows great range as she portrays numerous characters who come in contact with Ella on her journey. 

Photo courtesy of MAN 2017 Next Wave Festival

The video design (by Andrzej Goulding) and lighting (by Rick Fisher) are  mesmerizing.  The shadows cast on the walls by the actor transform into images of people in Ella’s story as well as her private desires.  They blend synchronistical and give a clear understanding of the main character’s loneliness and isolation.  

Man to Man is a unique and moving experience.  Unfortunately, this production ran at BAM’s Next Wave Festival for a very limited (November 7 – 11).  Keep your eyes peeled for video showings or additional bookings.  

Domenick Danza

Crossing

Crossing

2017 BAM Next Wave Festival

October 8, 2017

 

Photo courtesy of 2017 BAM Next Wave Festival

The American Repertory Theater production of Crossing was part of the 2017 BAM Next Wave Festival.  This new opera, composed, written, and conducted by Matthew Aucoin, was inspired by Walt Whitman’s diary entries during the time he volunteered at a Civil War hospital.  It explores Whitman’s essential question, “What is it, then, between us?”  The production is majestic and relevant.  Director Diane Paulus keeps everything simple and concise, allowing the music to envelope the audience and the moments to be true and personal.

Photo courtesy of 2017 BAM Next Wave Festival

From the BAM program notes, written by Matthew Aucoin:  “So, in Crossing, the Walt Whitman who walks the stage is not that familiar poetic persona.  Rather, this is Whitman as I imagine he might have been to himself, starting from a midlife crisis which prompts his radical, heroic decision to drop everything and volunteer in the war hospitals.  Naturally, this Whitman is a fictional creation.  Crossing is a musical fantasia which imagines and realizes the many forces – generosity, insecurity, longing, selflessness, bravery, unfulfilled sexual desire, a need to escape his own life, a boundless kindness – that caused a man named Walter Whitman, Jr. to forge an indelible embodiment of the American spirit in his poetry.”

Ron Gilfry & Alexander Lewis
Photo courtesy of 2017 BAM Next Wave Festival

Ron Gilfry commands the stage as Walt Whitman.  Alexander Lewis creates intrigue in the character of John Wormley.  Davone Tines captures the audience’s attention when he tells the haunting background story of his character Freddie Stowes.

The projection design by Finn Ross brings depth and imagination to the emotional stories shared by the characters.  Jill Johnson’s choreography adds dimension to the realistic and somber hospital environment.

Crossing was presented at the BAM Next Wave Festival from October 3 – 8.  Keep your eyes peeled for additional live performances or video broadcasts.  It is well worth seeing. 

Domenick Danza