Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage.
Directed by Rod Hipskind.
Shotgun Players,
The Ashby Stage,
Berkley CA.
As I sat in possibly one of the coolest spaces I have been to for theatre, I could not help but get my anticipation up to see the piece. However, about twenty-five minutes into the piece I found myself severely disappointed. The Shotgun players chose to adapt the story of Beowulf in a way that I felt is possibly the only way to tell the story on a stage in the theatre format, and I was anxious to see how it would turn out. The Shotgun Players’ idea of ensemble acting sounded like a great take on the age old story. However the subject matter is such an amazing piece the theatre piece left me feeling like I was seeing nothing more than I high school production. Perhaps it is best to even leave a discussion of this type to be left to the classroom.
I felt like the premise had a lot of potential and even as the play started I was more than just a little excited. The idea of having a few panelists discuss the story and point out the ironies was brilliant and a perfect way of negotiating around some of the difficulties that are present in the story. They were by far the best actors in the production, and their ensemble choral work as panelists was entertaining to watch. Their dialogue provided me with the majority of laughter that I experienced in the show. However, as in Berkley Rep’s production of Figaro, I would have preferred to see more of them as the premise and less of the story that the main characters were referring to taking place in the background.
Banana Bag and Bodice’s use of space and their creation of the space using the props were, sufficient to say, brilliant. One of my favorite moments in the play was the use of lights to create space. They set this up from the very beginning of the production using small lights above the three panelists that would dim when the panelists were not talking and would come on brighter when they were supposed to be the focus. Their light was much different than the use of stark bright lights on the mats that created this area where the story would take place behind them. But my favorite use of lights was the use of the upright lights that illuminated the arches of the space, creating not only a frame for the whole production, but also when turned on gave an accented feel of being inside of a great hall that would have existed during the time of Beowulf.
Their use of props also added to the production. It to be honest made the production watchable. Even the microphones at times became part of the set and part of the action when Beowulf uses each one and allows them to swing in rhythm. The use of the fish tanks to illustrate the underwater battle was nothing less than amusing. Even the instrumentation became part of the props. But their best use of props was also in someway the use of the space. When the dragon is created on stage, their use of fans and then mesh flags to create the illusion of wings kept the audience’s attention.
However, despite all the tools they had at their disposal, the lack of the presence of Beowulf and the horrid lyrics and simple melodies caused the production to fall on its face. Beowulf appeared on stage as an oaf, not the strong, but tragic hero we all have come to know and love. I do understand the dramatic and literary irony this creates, but instead of producing a witty irony, Beowulf creates an irony that does not support itself, in fact it does not support anything. Instead he helps to drag the production through the floor. While the music works for some of the actors, Beowulf’s solos (which are far to plentiful) are off-key and coarse. They do not provide the same feel as Grendal’s songs, which are meant to be a little off because of the way the character is played. His actions are way less physical than the beautiful actions of the other principal characters and when compared to the acting of Grendal and Grendal’s mother. The story of Beowulf gets smashed by the inadequate lyrics that were written, they try to turn the story into a somewhat funny telling of it, however the humor, for the most part is not humorous or witty. The lyrics, instead seem to not be pushed enough in that direction and instead fall on deaf ears as only making a lukewarm statement. The Beowulf character writing does not even provide much for the panelists to discuss, as most of their discussion is concerning the three villains.
The very character the play should be about drags down what would have been a beautiful production. It is interesting to note how something with such great potential can be dragged down by something that may seem so small. That is why it is important for every production to be so tight. Instead of being amazed I found myself a lot more disappointed then I had ever foreseen. Perhaps Beowulf would have been a lot more tolerable without the Beowulf.
twid
thestagedoor
