Theater Review (NYC): Woyzeck by Georg Buchner at UNDER St. Marks and BAM - Page 2

Some would say that having the daring stuff where the money is is a reality that previous theatrical generations could only dream of. It is certainly true that it equates to a minor miracle that more mainstream audiences could even begin to digest the antics of Vesturport Theater's manic production. The problem, however, is that those audiences may not be able to digest the production with the same intellectual clarity as younger, more radical-minded theatergoers.

Under the direction of Gísli Öm Gardarsson, this Woyzeck is as comical, manic, and intentionally reckless as it is intellectually shallow (also perhaps intentionally). Cave and Ellis’s score may be the best thing about the play: a brilliant, intermittently tender and insane score that goes through virtually every stage of Cave’s career arc. In a less mainstream context, this production would inspire similar glorious recklessness (it’s a rock thing). At BAM, however, it has probably just produced indigestion.

The Counting Squares Theatre production of Woyzeck at Under St. Marks is smaller in scope, both technically and intellectually. It features stunning, disciplined choreography by John O’Malley, nearly universally fitting performances, and deft direction by Joshua Chase Gold. It’s focus is not on acrobatics or noise rock, but on something rather old-fashioned: current events and national history, with War in Iraq imagery mixing with an occasional anachronous allusion to World War II. It’s the easier version of the play to appreciate, and not nearly as alienating as the production at BAM.

The question, however, is whether a production in this setting should be so easy. The Under St. Marks Woyzeck seems more like a product of a cast not willing to take as many risks. In the program, the cast and crew talk about how thrilled they are to be performing together in Woyzeck, which is roughly the equivalent of Jews being thrilled to celebrate Yom Kippur. It’s arguable that a staging of a production of Woyzeck that can best be described as “solid” is the worst possible way to stage the play. If you’re not taking significant risks in staging a play like Woyzeck, what’s the point in staging it? That rule should apply to all stagings of Woyzeck; the last place it should be invoked is off-off Broadway with a staff of young theater artists with next to nothing to lose.

Article Author: Ethan Stanislawski

Ethan Stanislawski is a freelance journalist/critic and new media specialist. He is a regular reviewer and staff writer at Prefix Magazine, and also contributes regularly to Blogcritics Magazine. His interests include theater, film, and pop music …

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