THEATER REVIEW:
Actors help overambitious play
By Lisa Dupuy
Published: Last Updated Tuesday, November 18, 2008 10:10 PM PST
What do Klaus Kinski, Werner Herzog and Tom Waits have in common? Yes, they’re all masters in their artistic disciplines. But they also have each been involved in some sort of adaptation of Georg Buchner’s play “Woyzeck” (pronounced Voi-check).
Therefore, you’d think this would be a really cool play and an interesting view into the life and times of the political revolutionary who wrote it as well as the real person upon which the story is based, soldier Johann Woyzeck. Both lived in Germany in the early 1800s.
The director and adapter of Buchner’s work, Bob McDonald, chose to create an adaptation more accessible to 21st-century audiences so we would not feel distanced from a period piece. This was a grave error. By taking this piece out of its natural realm of German Expressionism and old Berlin cabaret weirdness, it lost its soul.
The story is loosely based upon a sensational murder case involving Woyzeck and his common-law wife, Christine Woost, in Germany in 1821. Outraged that the jury condemned this man to death by beheading, Buchner wrote the play to shine a light on the mistreatment of this simple regiment man by the military and medical industries that ultimately drove him to an act of madness.
Woyzeck, played by Gangbusters veteran Christian Levatino, is a twitchy, paranoid mess of a man. He apparently got that way by having frequent medical experiments forced upon him, though this is somewhat unclear in the production. He is also talked down to by his captain (a buffoonish Allen Andrews) and harassed by his fellow soldiers to the point where he wails to his only friend about hearing mysterious sounds and being hounded by the Freemasons. Again, it is all so murky, it’s hard to tell if something was lost in the translation/adaptation or if it’s just bad drama.
A breath of fresh air lies with Michael Laurie, who plays the Doctor. He sweeps in with natural energy and comedic timing that actually give the words some reason to be. He is constantly asking Woyzeck if he’s eating his peas, as if peas are the miracle cure-all. Also wonderful is the Child, played by 9-year-old Brighid Fleming, who is willowy and angelic, and adds an honesty to the show that is very welcome.
To the Gangbusters’ credit, it was ambitious to take on this classic drama that influenced future generations of playwrights including Samuel Beckett and the Theater of the Absurd.
It might be worth it to see “Woyzeck,” a play that is rarely performed, simply for its historical value, but don’t expect a sublime production.
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LISA DUPUY is a freelance writer from La Crescenta who formerly worked on KCET’s “Storytime.” LISA DUPUY is a freelance writer from La Crescenta who formerly worked on KCET’s “Storytime.”
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Actors Help Overambitious Play
