Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Company XIV’s sexy, streamlined FERDINAND: BOYLESQUE BULLFIGHT gives the audience exactly what they want

• By drediman
• October 7, 2018
• No Comments

The company of Company XIV’s “Ferdinand: Boylesque Bullfight” at Théâtre XIV.

Yesterday evening, I attended the late night performance of Company XIV’s Ferdinand: Boylesque Bullfight at their wonderfully immersive new home in Bushwhick, the fittingly named Théâtre XIV. Ferdinand previously played the venue earlier this summer, which I had missed. I was therefore excited to learn of its remounting and to cover and review this return engagement.

Simply put, Ferdinand, directed and choreographed per usual by artistic director Austin McCormick, is smashing. It smartly addressed a slight issue I’ve had with most past Company XIV productions, which was their somewhat clunky attempts at theatrical narratives. For his latest show, which is based on the 1936 children’s story about a bullfight and a field of flowers (!) by Munro Leaf, Mr. McCormick has kept the storytelling simple and suggestive. This punchy, fluidly streamlined approach focuses on giving (the largely gay) audience exactly what they want, and that’s plenty of darkly seductive homerotic/homofabulous sex, a bold theatrical style (the costumes and lighting are stunning), and a blast of edgy attitude. On those points, Ferdinand most definitely delivers over the course of its fast and furious yet thrillingly decadent 90 plus minutes, and that includes an intermission.

What remains intact is Mr. McCormick’s barrage of stylish, witty, and brash choreography, which in this case largely plays off of the brash showmanship of the burlesque tradition. The level of polish and tight precision he achieves with his dancers on Théâtre XIV’s intimate stage is worth taking note of. The talent onstage remains astounding, maintaining the company’s exceedingly high performance standards. This time around, highlights for me include a (male) bumble en pointe (the breathtaking Laszlo Major) and a glittery airborne mezzo-soprano matador (the fearless Marcy Richardson). As for drinks, try the McCormick Martini; it’s delicious and a perfect compliment to the creator’s unmistakable, intoxicating aesthetics. And if the show leaves you thirsting for some more bacchanalia, you can also catch Mr. McCormick’s choreography on the grand stage of the Metropolitan Opera, where he provided the dances for the eagerly anticipated season-opening new production of Saint-Saens’ Samson and Dalila.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

FERDINAND: BOYLESQUE BULLFIGHT
Dance
Company XIV at Théâtre XIV
1 hour, 40 minutes (with one intermission)
Through October 28