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Nosferatu...Angel
of the Final Hour
The story is told through the very theatrical style of performance aptly called "the Style," which is rooted in the commedia tradition as understood by Theater du Soleil's Georges Bigot, who brought this high-energy musical aesthetic to the States in 1984. (The Style is also the basis for creating work at the Actors' Gang and Chicago's New Crime.) To see the Style at work is always satisfying because it is a purely theatrical language; it's also a nice match for the silent-film milieu. One actor at a time addresses the audience before passing the attention, the energy, to another character onstage. Each toss of the head is accentuated by percussion - provided by Jef Bek's rockin' band. The pace is fast and furious; the change of emotion from sad to angry to scared, instantaneous. Sometimes the Style really works for this production, such as the scenes between the enthusiastic Jonathan Harker (Joe Fria) and his aggravated fiancee Mina (Jenna Fischer), in which he must explain to his love that instead of planning their wedding he's off to the Carpathian Mountains to meet a mysterious client, or between Harker and the wacky Dr. Van Helsing (Ben Simonetti), as they gird their loins to take on the dreaded immortal - setups inspired by the Nosferatu film. Within the context of the Café Fini, in which Murnau spent his nights with Hans and other young men, the Style is less useful. The play is impressionistic at its core, and, in the tradition of the Zoo District, hundreds of ideas are thrown at the challenge of telling this complicated story. Some ideas really make an impression, others don't. The reason the play ultimately succeeds is simply because of the creativity and energy of all those involved - from the terrific use of shadows on Rick Paladino and Michael Franco's set to the alternately thunderous and lyrical soundtrack provided by Bek's onstage mini-orchestra to the appropriately over-the-top characterizations of Zoo District members, such as Fria, Simonetti, Fischer, Christine Deaver as the lustful and bitter poetess Else Lasker-Schuler, D Morris as the tortured Murnau, and Antony Sandoval as the frighteningly Teutonic producer William Fox. You may not leave with the impression that you've loved everything you've seen onstage, but you do feel you've seen things you couldn't have seen anywhere else. And that's exciting. The show has lost a little something in the transfer from its Downtown digs to the Evidence Room. Let's face it, Downtown L.A. at night is just scarier than even the Rampart District - and atmosphere plays a role. And the larger performance space, which allows for greater separation between audience and actor, is not always a good thing. At the same time, Zoo District has filled this huge space with some exciting new images of shadow and light which were not part of version 1.0, and a bigger sound from the band, enhanced by a booming drum so big it has to be seen to be believed. The first act seems tighter than it did Downtown, and that's appreciated. Also, I personally prefer Michael Childers' current interpretation of the vampire to Nick Gillie's. All in all, this creature of the night still gets the blood flowing. It's spooky, funny, sad, and at times, really beautiful. Most important, it's theatre, plain and simple - and worth another visit. Nosferatu: Angel of the Final Hour," presented by Zoo District at the Evidence Room, 2220 W. Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, Thur-Sat, 8 p.m., Sun. 7 pm. Feb 16 - April 22nd. $20. (323) 769-5674. |
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"Compelling, innovative, wall-to-wall theater ... An extraordinary ensemble." - Hollywood Reporter "A dizzying warp of pun-filled dialogue, physcial comedy and cabaret numbers blends expressionism and farce with miraculous economy." - LA Weekly- Critic's Choice / Pick of the Week |
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