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Cleveland Independent
April 25, 2010
FUSIONFEST: “WE SHALL COLLABORATE”
By Bill Corcoran
It’s a rare opportunity
to view a fully rendered production of Igor Stravinsky’s theater piece
“A Soldier’s Tale.” Cleveland Play House provided northern Ohioans this
treat as part of “fusionfest 2010.”
Stravinsky’s ironic music, which earned stature as his most widely known
opus written between the masterworks “The Rite of Spring” and “Symphony
of Psalms,” is coupled with “Catch and Release,” by Esa-Pekka Salonen,
which uses the same orchestration.
One of the catchwords of this presentation is cooperation. If the
evening had a slogan, it would be this: “We Shall Collaborate.” Artistic
Director Michael Bloom is rightfully proud of the fact that for the
first time in ninety-five years there’s a joining of forces between the
Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Play House. Tito Muñoz (assistant
conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra) and seven orchestral personnel
have made the tiny trek down Euclid Avenue to appear on the Play House’s
Baxter Stage. Four Playhouse actors and five dancers from GroundWorks
Dance Theater round out the ensemble. There isn’t a single slacker in
the bunch.
And that’s just onstage! Stravinsky started the ball rolling back in
1918 with a libretto based on a Russian folk tale written by Swiss
author C.F. Ramuz. (A soldier loses his soul by trading his violin to
the devil.) Over the years concert and ballet versions popped up, and
then in 1973 Kurt Vonnegut got in the mix and created a new libretto.
His was inspired by “The Execution of Private Slovik,” a book about the
last shooting of an American soldier for desertion in 1945. Meatier
stuff is appropriate for today’s audience and is surprisingly adaptable
to Stravinsky’s colorful score.
“Catch and Release” (specifically written as a companion piece for “A
Soldier’s Tale”) hit the boards first. The intricate ballet was played
and danced superbly; technical wizardry and astounding ensemble work
abounded in all departments. But innovative choreography wasn’t able to
completely rescue Salonen’s sometimes tedious and obscure score. The
overall effect was intriguing and interesting but not particularly
theatrical. It would take several viewings to fully absorb the barrage
of abstract commentary provided by the blend of orchestration, movement
and video. The latter ingredient, the world premier of “Quadrascope,” a
video art piece created by Cleveland Institute of Art professor Kasumi,
was projected on the stage floor and as such was pretty much lost in the
shuffle. Nevertheless, as a warm-up act the montage fulfilled its
mission, and with it our whistle was thoroughly whetted.
A brief intermission and “Presto,” the Baxter stage embraced an honest
to god pièce de theater! A ridiculously triumphant trumpet call set “A
Soldier’s Tale” on its incongruous and tongue in cheek way. Is it
traditional musical theater? Far from it, but who cares? Four fine
actors lead the audience through an insider’s look at war and what it
can do to the human psyche. The integration of artistic disciplines is
complete and satisfying. Actors danced just enough to allow GroundWorks
specialists and David Shimotakahara’s evocative choreography to fuse
almost seamlessly into the evening’s mischief. Stravinsky’s demanding
score coaxed the musicians and conductor into a physical commitment that
complemented the onstage movements. Especially noteworthy was the
delightful interplay between violinist Jung-Min Amy Lee, percussionist
Mark Damoulakis and the ensemble of tangoing actors and dancers.
It would certainly seem that director Seth Gordon deserves the bulk of
the credit for blending these potentially warring side dishes into an
exquisitely balanced buffet. The delights are plentiful. Everyone, from
Artistic Director to Light Board Operator, deserve kudos for proving
that Cleveland creative organizations can make a strong political
statement by choosing not warring agendas, but peaceful collaboration.
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