VIEWPOINTS – Incisively sculpted portrayals that all but disappear into their subjects: RICHARD MOVE and JEN TULLOCK give performances that had me hooked

Over the past week or so, I had the great pleasure of catching incisively sculpted portrayals from two actors who all but disappeared into their respective roles. Although the plays they appear in are on the slighter side, their performances had me hooked and have stayed with me days after seeing them. As always, read on for my thoughts.

Lisa Kron, Katherine Crockett, Catherine Cabeen, and Richard Move in BAM Next Wave’s presentation of “Martha@BAM—The 1963 Interview” at BAM Fisher (photo by Andrea Mohin).

MARTHA@BAM—THE 1963 INTERVIEW
Brooklyn Academy of Music
Closed

First up at BAM Fisher was Richard Move’s Martha@BAM–The 1963 Interview (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED), one of the offerings at this fall’s Next Wave festival courtesy of the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Move has made a name for himself for his highly niche skill of impersonating of the iconic Martha Graham. In short, the documentary-style production is an homage to the hugely influential modern dance choreographer and comes in the form of a meticulous and faithful recreation of a 1963 interview that took place at the 92nd Street Y, during which she discussed her modern dance characterizations of the female figures of Greek mythology, as well as her take on depicting comedy and Americana through choreography. At the center of it all is Move’s uncanny depiction of Graham herself, an obsessive act of theatrical resurrection that suavely melds loving reverence with elements of subtly winking camp. The attention to detail in the performance is nothing short of mesmerizing to behold, moving beyond merely mimicking Graham’s mannerisms and statuesque physicality to fully embodying the choreographer’s high elegance and partaking in her intense passion for her craft, complete with her distinct affectation in her articulation of her dance vocabulary. As Graham’s interviewer, dance critic Walter Terry, Tony-winner Lisa Kron is absolutely no slouch either, giving a grounded yet beautifully-calibrated performance that compliments Move’s showier turn. In the background are the occasional appearances of a pair of spectral dancers — played by Catherine Cabeen and PeiJu Chien-Pott, former members of the Martha Graham Dance Company — who animate Graham’s dance aesthetic with care and precision.

Jen Tullock in Playwrights Horizons’ production of “Nothing Can Take You from the Hand of God” by Jen Tullock and Frank Winters at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater (photo by Maria Baranova).

NOTHING CAN TAKE YOU FROM THE HAND OF GOD
Playwrights Horizons
Through November 16

Back in Manhattan, I also had the opportunity to take in Jen Tullock’s solo performance in Nothing Can Take You from the Hand of God (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). Written by Tullock and Frank Winters, the play tells the fictitious story of Frances, a woman who, in order to exorcise demons from growing up in an intensely religious household and community in the South, writes a book documenting her traumatic experiences, which include allegations of emotional and physical abuse. In many ways, the play is a meditation on perception and the nature of abuse and the lasting trauma that it can cause (as well the ability to truly rid ourselves of it). It also touches upon the (un-)reliability of memory, which manifests itself when the damaged heroine returns to her hometown as an adult to settle affairs with her family. As staged by Jared Mezzocchi at Playwrights Horizons’ intimate Peter Jay Sharp Theater, Tullock’s tour-de-force performance will likely draw comparisons to Sarah Snook’s performance in The Picture of Dorian Gray (directed by Kip Williams). Both make extensive use of multimedia technology as significant storytelling tools, specifically to more vividly draw distinctions — through cinematic cuts — between the various characters they play. But unlike Snook’s performance, Tullock controls — with awesome precision — all of the production’s technical elements herself (Snook relied on a team of technicians to achieve the overall illusion of her performance), similar to Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson’s brilliant multitasking in the sensational “live-looped” musical Mexodus. Bells and whistles aside, however, it’s Tullock’s underlying dramatic performance that truly drew me in — an emotionally impassioned yet crystalline piece of acting that seethes authenticity.

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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