Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: Manual Cinema’s CHRISTMAS CAROL, Wilma Theater’s production of HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING, and Dzieci Theatre’s FOOLS MASS

• By drediman
• December 11, 2020
• No Comments

This week, I looked beyond Manhattan (Brooklyn! Philadelphia! Chicago!) to satisfy my theater craving. Here are my thoughts.

MANUAL CINEMA’S CHRISTMAS CAROL
Manual Cinema
Through December 20

The folks at Manual Cinema have done it again. Unable to tour this fall, the Chicago troupe has instead turned its efforts into creating a new family friendly show for the holidays – an enchanting take on Charles Dickens’ perennial A Christmas Carol. Gorgeously conceived and masterfully executed, Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) – which was written by the company’s artistic directors (Drew Dir, Sarah Fornace, Ben Kauffman, Julia Miller, and Kyle Vegter) – is a prime example of the company’s signature blend of puppetry, cinematic storytelling, theater, and original live music. It’s a style that lends itself beautifully to virtual presentation. The production also displays the troupe’s penchant for soulfully reimagining well-known classics, all the while retaining the original spirit of the underlying works. By overlaying a contemporary narrative onto the familiar plot, Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol imbues Dickens’ work with welcome immediacy. And despite its handcrafted aesthetic, the project is a technical wonder (each stream is performed LIVE), especially from a sound/visual mixing standpoint.

HEROES OF THE FOURTH TURNING
Wilma Theater
Through December 13

When I first encountered Will Arbery’s Heroes of the Fourth Turning at Playwrights Horizons last year, I thought it was one of the very best plays of 2019. In depicting a late night gathering between longtime right-leaning (to varying degrees) friends, the Pulitzer Prize Finalist provides a compelling portal into the conservative mindset. Wilma Theater’s searingly acted production (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) re-confirms my original estimation of the play, which is just as unsettling, illuminating, and eloquently-written as I remember. Indeed, the carefully-drawn characters continue to be frighteningly believable and complex, particularly as portrayed by the superb cast assembled by the Philadelphia-based company. More than ever, the timely play speaks to the current juncture in our country’s history with unnerving clarity and urgency. In summary, Wilma’s site-specific production – which was performed and filmed in the Poconos under strict health guidelines – is a must-see and a much needed departure from the ubiquitous Zoom format, particularly as helmed by Blanka Zizka, who directs the play with subtle but unwavering intensity.

FOOLS MASS
Dzieci Theatre
Through December 17

Last weekend, I tuned into the live-stream of the 2020 edition of Fools Mass (RECOMMENDED), courtesy of Brooklyn-based Dzieci Theatre. The nomadic staging began 22 years ago and has been typically performed in places of worship (its stop at St. John the Divine usually sells out), as well as more traditional performance spaces. Essentially, the work recreates a 14th century Catholic mass. The catch, however, is that it’s enacted by a bevy of village idiots. Happily, what could easily have been exploitative and mean-spirited, ultimately coalesces into an oddly moving testament to the importance of ritual and faith in the face of calamity and confusion. Understandably, an in-person mounting wasn’t possible this year. Thankfully, however, the spontaneity of the experience (which was recorded live at Bushwick’s Sure We Can) has been effectively documented on film. Even the grainy feed — usually a drawback — contributes to the authenticity and vitality of the event, which walks a fine line between plaintive reflection (e.g., achingly somber hymns) and riotous entertainment (e.g., frequently very funny commedia dell’arte shenanigans).