Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – The enticing Kander/Thompson/Stroman hybrid THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE registers as traditional musical theater

• By drediman
• June 17, 2018
• No Comments

Irina Dvorovenko and Tony Yazbeck in the Kander/Thompson/Stroman collaboration “The Beast in the Jungle” at the Vineyard Theatre.

This afternoon, I caught a matinee performance of The Beast in the Jungle at Off-Broadway’s Vineyard Theatre. The new, much anticipated self-proclaimed “dance play” is an enticing collaboration between some living legends of the theater – composer John Kander, book writer David Thompson, and director and choreographer Susan Stroman. The work is an adaptation of a novela by Henry James of the same name about the tragic figure of John Marcher, a man whose demons prevent him from committing to a relationship and the possibility of life-long love.

On paper, the the Kander/Thompson/Stroman combo is an irresistible  one. Their work on The Beast in the Jungle takes the emotive dance-centric concept of Ms. Stroman’s Tony-winning Contact and applies to it a sweeping, multi-decade narrative that unfolds through a mix of dialogue, lush underscoring, puppetry (by Michael Curry, who helped develop the designs for The Lion King and this year’s Frozen), and of course, choreography. Despite the unique format, the final product ultimately registers like a insistently traditional, good old fashioned musical (I wouldn’t expect anything less from creatives of this pedigree). However, if the intent was to explore new forms of cutting-edge hybrid theatrical storytelling, I’m not convinced the team was totally successful; I would even go far as to say that the piece comes across as somewhat creaky, utilizing a toolkit containing only existing performance vocabulary.

Ms. Stroman’s production is fluid and beautifully danced by the principals and a hardworking, continually shape-shifting corps of women. However, I felt at times that the lively dance and busy staging were at odds with the central melancholy of the piece. The cast is led by Peter Friedman, one of New York’s finest working actors, and he gives the show’s most effective dramatic performance in a compellingly tortured turn as present-day John Marcher. As the younger version(s) of the anti-hero, Tony Yazbeck – one of industry’s premiere hoofers – was his typical eager, game self. And as the seductive, mysterious, and continuously-heartbroken woman who consumes him over the years (and vice versa), former American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Irina Dvorovenko, who’s been making a name for herself in the theater in recent years (e.g., Encores! productions of On Your Toes and Grand Hotel), was ravishing both in her movement and acting. In her passionate, potent portrayal, who wouldn’t fall for her?

RECOMMENDED

THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE
Off-Broadway, Play/Dance
Vineyard Theatre
1 hour, 50 minutes (without an intermission)
Through June 24