Andrey Grebenetsky-Woyzeck Review (with revision)
The Circus is in Town
If I can just be assertive for a moment, generally speaking, when theatergoers go to see a show, they compulsively research the play in fear of not understanding or heavens forbid, seeing something they do not expect. Sometimes, being an uneducated consumer has its benefits. Why can’t we just buy tickets to and attend a show we know nothing about? Couldn’t we then enjoy the performances for what they are?
In the year 2008, originality is scarce. Everything has been done before. Somewhere deep in Iceland, the Vesturport and Reykjavik City Theatres began a collaboration to take something old and make it new. Throughout their stunning rendition of Georg Buchner’s Woyzeck in the Brooklyn Academy of Music theatre, the talent and free-spiritedness of everybody involved truly shines. Even the director, Gisli Orn Gardarsson likens his extraordinarily athletic group to a band. “We love to experiment,” he comments. “There are no rules regarding what kind of music we play or who plays what…It is a question of now.”
The co-founder of Vesturport, Gardarsson made his directorial debut in Iceland with his circus themed rendition of Romeo and Juliet, where he also took up the lead role of Romeo. A revolving theme around his directorial style, he recruited fellow Icelandic actor Johannes Niels Sigurdsson as Vesturport’s circus and gymnastics coach.
Such is the foundation of Woyzeck. Audience members are guaranteed to be dazzled by impressive displays of acrobatics and cat-like nimbleness with the main attractions being a water tank weighing upwards of 10 tons, bungee jumping, and a flying trapeze.
Remarkably, there is even a storyline derived from Buchner’s nineteenth century masterpiece that is backed up with world-class acting. Ingvar E. Sigurdsson is captivating in his emotional portrayal of Woyzeck, an abused man who eventually drowns in his insanity. Sigurdsson is a virtuoso at drawing empathy from the audience as gasps are heard throughout the audience whenever he is tortured, both physically by the Drum Major (beautifully rendered by Bjorn Hlynur Haraldsson), and mentally by the betrayal of his love, Marie (Nina Dogg Filippusdottir in a Snow White outfit).
That is not to say that the play is overly serious. Woyzeck also resembles a rock musical and is packed with just the right amount of comic relief to keep the audience from despair. The collaboration between professional composers Nick Cave and Warren Ellis served as the pulse of the production, drawing the audience in at times and purposefully away when necessary.
The major criticism of the production is that it only scarcely resembles the original story. That may be a problem for the compulsive shopper types, but I say that you should enjoy the rendition for what it is. “Rather than finding the perfect melody within the text,” asserts director Gardarsson. It is “our choice.”
Vesturport and Reykjavik City Theatre’s originality and penchant for self-expression came out quite magnificently. Maybe we all should exercise our right of choice. If you could think outside of the box, you will love Woyzeck. One word of advice, bring a dark pair of sunglasses. It can get a little bright in there.
Leave a Response
You must be logged in to post a comment.