30. VENICE
Shakespeare
has long been a tempting, if problematic, resource for theatre artists seeking
to mine his familiar plots and characters, if not necessarily his language, for
opera and musicals. VENICE, in the Anspacher Theatre at the Public, is the
latest in this lineage of Shakespeare to musical transformations, and not among the most successful of them. Its source is not THE MERCHANT OF
VENICE but OTHELLO, although Eric Rosen’s book treats that classic very
loosely, more as an inspiration than a model to be faithfully emulated. There
are major characters of whom Shakespeare never dreamed, plot situations that
are new, and plot twists and character developments whose resonance can only be
fully appreciated if you know the original.
A Clown MC, played by the show’s
talented composer and co-lyricist, Matt Sax, serves as a kind of black-garbed
CABARET-like mediator, introducing the story and interposing himself in many
scenes, as he delivers his hip-hop musical patter while also showing off his versatility
with slick dance moves and strong singing chops. He works on a set by Beowulf
Boritt composed of simple scaffolding and platforms set against a background
effectively lit by Jason Lyons, all of it resembling some of the numerous
Shakespeare productions given in this venue over the years. Jason H. Thompson’s
projections, both still and moving, as well as video sequences, include
numbered titles for each scene, such as “Citizens of Venice,” “Sunrise,”
“Liberation: Pull Up the People,” “Never Wish War on a People,” “Poison,” “Put
Out the Light,” etc., which also are the titles of each scene’s principal song.
With the help of projected text we learn that the city of Venice underwent a brutal war twenty years earlier, during which 20,000 people were killed and the city destroyed, with the elite citizens setting themselves up behind a wall in an area called the Safe Zone, ruled by Westbrook Enterprises, which has set up a military occupation that oppressively rules over the population in the rest of the city. (“If you see something, say something,” people are warned.)The specifics of what led to this situation are very vague, but we do know that the downtrodden citizens are massing for a revolution to reunite the split city by tearing down the wall, and that their leader is a young man named Venice Monroe (Haaz Sleiman), obviously based on Othello. He was separated at age seven from the Desdemona character, Willow Turner (Jennifer Damiano), the privileged daughter of the assassinated president, who lives in the Safe Zone but is actually on the side of the revolutionaries. She and Venice Monroe are lovers (this all becomes very muddy), despite their long separation, but the autocratic leader of Venice is another young man, Theodore Westbrook (Jonathan-David), who is also in love with Willow, and becomes Venice’s principal rival. Then there is the Michael Cassio character, here called Michael Victor (Claybourne Elder), who serves as Venice’s right hand man and is no longer the object of the hero’s jealousy. And, of course, we have an Iago avatar, Markos Monroe (Leslie Odom, Jr.), Venice’s black half-brother.
Venice is the child of a rape, you see, which presumably explains why Venice is light skinned [the actor is from Lebanon] and Markos is dark; you may recognize the actor as Sam from TV’s SMASH. Perhaps I should mention that, in a dream scene, the freedom fighter mother, Anna (Uzo Aduba) materializes, so the rape can be staged, a totally unnecessary intrusion of fantasy into the action. Markos is a general, the leader of the military occupation, so his opposition to Venice is based on both personal and political jealousy. His wife Emilia (Victoria Platt), whom he coolly manipulates to serve his purposes, bears the name of her Shakespearean counterpart, and she more or less serves a similar dramaturgic purpose.
With the help of projected text we learn that the city of Venice underwent a brutal war twenty years earlier, during which 20,000 people were killed and the city destroyed, with the elite citizens setting themselves up behind a wall in an area called the Safe Zone, ruled by Westbrook Enterprises, which has set up a military occupation that oppressively rules over the population in the rest of the city. (“If you see something, say something,” people are warned.)The specifics of what led to this situation are very vague, but we do know that the downtrodden citizens are massing for a revolution to reunite the split city by tearing down the wall, and that their leader is a young man named Venice Monroe (Haaz Sleiman), obviously based on Othello. He was separated at age seven from the Desdemona character, Willow Turner (Jennifer Damiano), the privileged daughter of the assassinated president, who lives in the Safe Zone but is actually on the side of the revolutionaries. She and Venice Monroe are lovers (this all becomes very muddy), despite their long separation, but the autocratic leader of Venice is another young man, Theodore Westbrook (Jonathan-David), who is also in love with Willow, and becomes Venice’s principal rival. Then there is the Michael Cassio character, here called Michael Victor (Claybourne Elder), who serves as Venice’s right hand man and is no longer the object of the hero’s jealousy. And, of course, we have an Iago avatar, Markos Monroe (Leslie Odom, Jr.), Venice’s black half-brother.
Venice is the child of a rape, you see, which presumably explains why Venice is light skinned [the actor is from Lebanon] and Markos is dark; you may recognize the actor as Sam from TV’s SMASH. Perhaps I should mention that, in a dream scene, the freedom fighter mother, Anna (Uzo Aduba) materializes, so the rape can be staged, a totally unnecessary intrusion of fantasy into the action. Markos is a general, the leader of the military occupation, so his opposition to Venice is based on both personal and political jealousy. His wife Emilia (Victoria Platt), whom he coolly manipulates to serve his purposes, bears the name of her Shakespearean counterpart, and she more or less serves a similar dramaturgic purpose.
There’s no need to go into all the complex and extraneous plot developments; the point is that the theme of sexual jealousy regarding
Desdemona’s alleged infidelity that dominates OTHELLO, while still present, has
been watered down (a letter becomes a crucial prop instead of Desdemona’s
handkerchief), with the new character of Theo made the potential transgressor,
thus turning the conflict into one political as well as love rivalry. There are
many issues that remain vague or inconsistent; all we need to know is that
there are two factions fighting for dominance with mixed motives and that the
good guys simply want peace and liberation. The show includes themes of
personal and political trust and betrayal, marital unrest, political ambition,
romance, and violence, but it is rarely emotionally involving and, at nearly
two and a half hours, is overlong. Given the array of talent and
professionalism on display, it is frustrating to be in their company for so
long without caring at all what happens to them. The human dimension simply
gets buried under all the technically proficient but essentially banal sound and fury. And, except
for a stray laugh or two, the mood is determinedly grim and lacking in humor.
As in so many contemporary musicals,
the music is generic with largely unmelodic melodies. The lyrics for most songs
are intended to carry the narrative, which would be fine if they were at least
able to also overcome their cerebral qualities and affect one’s feelings. We
get lots of vocal and rhythmic pyrotechnics, but the music and lyrics have
little emotional resonance. Chase Brock has created a lot of dance movement for
the dynamic and focused company but, like the hip-hop and rock-based music,
while often clever, it seems overly familiar and, ultimately, uninteresting.
At the end, despite the unresolved
political conflict, the survivors behave as if they’ve achieved victory,
singing that “I can see the sun rise,” and “give us just one moment to shine,”
the effect somehow being strangely reminiscent of “Let the Sun Shine In” in
HAIR. The cast takes its curtain call to an insistent rhythm that gets the
audience clapping along with them, so it wasn’t surprising to overhear audience
members leaving the theatre speaking in energized tones about how much they’d
enjoyed the show. Me, I’d have rather been in Venice.