- If you're a 20-year-old dark-haired thin white guy in circular glasses, you are Harry Potter, not Doctor Faustus. Even the 19th-century-themed attire is reminiscent of the Harry Potter wizarding designs. I don't know if that allusion is the electro-rock vibe this production was going for.
- Couldn't hear basically any lyrics. I think there is a problem with the sound, because when there was any accompaniment, the lyrics were lost in a muffled mess of nothing. The lyrics I did hear were... not so good. I'm not sure if they were taken from Gertrude Stein, but "I'm not dead enough said" and "Bright or white or something that rhymes with bright"? The multiple repetitions of them emphasized the lack of originality or value. Words matter.
- The finale was nice, and audible, because it was a capella. Although, while it was happening, I was thinking, 'Oh. It's the Brown University Cleftones.'
- A lot of the music was very cool, except for the parts that were better when they were 'Little Shop.'
- Brave attempt at promenade-style staging. Kind of failed because too many audience members were crammed in. We spent a lot of time getting out of the way/being scared of the actors.
- This must be from the director, but being bug-eyed and/or staring blankly is not cool; it's vapid.
- The strongest moments were the spoken texts (because they were very clear and well performed). I thought it was Stein material, but I've been told it's not.
- Flickery movie reel was a nice gimmick, but the performance degraded as the scene went on.
- Solo dancer in the corner doing arabesques and backbends and then putting on costume? Why? Just an excuse to be using more of the space? The space was used plenty.
- All the choreo in general... kinda meh. Would love to see them really go for it, but you can't do too much while squeezing through the crowd or standing on narrow platforms, I guess. I also get the feeling these kids are mostly non-dancers. Why not get dancers? (And not just for a weird pointless solo.)
- The program does not list who is who, so I have to just call her Helena Bonham Carter lookalike. SHE WAS GREAT! Excellent vocals, and she was the only one who made the bug-eye thing work. Though, I do think this was due in large part to her predecessor, Ms. Bonham Carter. This one actress gained the production a T shot.
- The production loses that T shot and more for the blank stares, the strobe lights, the making us stand, and the what?
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Cole
Trans man, Playwright, Dramaturg, and Theatre & Dance Historian Archives
August 2014
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