Review: The Arsonists (Trap Door Theatre)

  
  
The Arsonists

Written by Max Frisch  
Translated by Alistair Beaton  
Directed by Victor Quezada-Pere 
Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland (map) 
thru Nov 17  |  tickets: $20-$25   |  more info 
  
Check for half-price tickets  
  
  
  Read entire review  

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Disturbing, provocative – but not necessarily enjoyable

Trap Door Theatre presents

The Arsonists

Review by Lauren Whalen 

Trap Door Theatre prides itself on the unusual. Their mission is to bring both European avant-garde and cutting-edge American theatre artists to Chicago, and to tour the world with their work. Tracy Letts is a board member, and has directed Trap Door shows. The actors boast credentials of Interlochen Arts Academy, Goodman and the Lyric Opera.  No doubt, their latest production of The Arsonists is important, and impressive. But this bourgeois parable reimagined with European Clowning technique isn’t all that enjoyable.

The Arsonists follows Mr. Biedermann (Bob Wilson), whose guilt spawned from his cushy lifestyle leads him to allow two smooth-talking arsonists (David Steiger and Michael Doonan) to burn his house to the ground. DirectorVictor Quezada-Perez – son of Chilean political exiles and founder/artistic director of the Cie Umbral theatercompany in Paris – has staged the show with European Clowning technique, which seems to consist of actors inhaling after every sentence and making odd bird-like noises between lines of dialogue. They wear red noses and face paint, but these clowns are cheerfully menacing (think Heath Ledger’s terrifying Joker in “The Dark Knight”). Even if you’re not afraid of clowns per se, after seeing The Arsonists you might be.

Indeed, The Arsonists effectively sets the stage for dark humor and horror. Zsofia Otvos’ makeup design results in garish and gleeful visages, and Tonette Navarro’s costumes perfectly blend period style with exaggerated elements (such as baggy trousers and a maid’s fake heart-shaped derriere). Mike Mroch’s set maximizes the small space to recall a large home, with musicians and chorus members hovering on a higher level like avenging angels. Meredith Miller’s prop design gives each seemingly random object a symbolic significance, and lighting designer Richard Norwood’s final cue perfectly sums up the show’s aura.

The show’s cast is as skilled as its production team. Wilson shines as the blustery Biedermann, and Tiffany Bedwell shrieks and smokes with aplomb as his wife Babette.John Kahara displays excellent comic timing as Biedermann servant Anna, and Noah Durham is wildly expressive in a mostly nonverbal role. Steiger and Doonan are the real standouts: Steiger injects menace into every mannerism, and Doonan slithers and hisses like the prettiest and most poisonous of snakes.

With such strong elements at play, why am I not giving The Arsonists a higher rating? Despite the interesting visuals and first-rate performances, I still didn’t really like the show. Perhaps the production is so heavily stylized that the substance is lost; perhaps there isn’t much substance to begin with. Indeed, the character of arsonist Schmitz is inconsistently written: he goes from a Harold Hill-type smooth talker in the show’s first half to a doddering nincompoop in the second. And despite supposedly deep insights like “If the thought of radical change scares you more than the thought of disaster, what can you do to stop the disaster?” I was confused about the message the show was trying to send, or if there was a message at all.

Both expressionism and the avant-garde have important places in theatre history. I am assuming that The Arsonists would be extremely well-received in Europe, and I commend Trap Door Theatre for doing what they do. I just wish I knew how the play was supposed to make me feel.

Rating: ★★½

The Arsonists continues through November 17th at Trap Door Theatre, 1655 W. Cortland (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm.  Tickets are $20-$25, and are available by phone (773-384-0494) or online through TicketLeap.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at TrapDoorTheatre.com. (Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes, no intermission)

Photos by Michal Janicki 

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artists

cast

Bob Wilson (Gottlieb Biedermann); Tiffany Bedwell (Babette); John Kahara (Anna); David Steiger(Schmitz); Michael Doonan (Eisenring); Noah Durham (Policeman, Doctor of Philosophy); Skye Fort (Mrs. Knechtling, Chorus, Bassist); Antonio Brunetti (Firemen’s Leader, Percussion); Gary Damico(Chorus, Pianist); Meredith Miller (Leader 2, Saw); Roy Gonzalez (Chorus, Guitarist)

behind the scenes

Victor Quezada-Perez (director, sound design); Beata Pilch (artistic director); Severine Savigny (asst. director); Allison Raynes (stage manager, production manager); Milan Pribisic (dramaturg); Mike Mroch (set design); Richard Norwood (lighting); Meredith Miller (props); Tonette Navarro (costumes); Mikayla Pasquale (asst. costumes); Osvaldo (sound design); Zsofia Otvos (makeup);Michal Janicki (graphics); Michal Janicki (photos)