Rochester Fringe Festival, Day 1: "The Event," "Hide the Moon" reviews

UPDATED 9/20/12 to correct the name of the actor playing Jokannan on “Hide the Moon.”

The theme for the first night of the inaugural
First Niagara Rochester Fringe Festival was the lifting of veils, both literal
and figurative. My first stop for the evening was the Geva Theatre Center
Nextstage for the first performance of “The
Event.” John Clancy’s one-man show has been a hit internationally,
including at the Edinburgh Fringe, where actor David Calvitto — who reprises
the sole role in Rochester — won a Best Actor award.

The hour-long piece is difficult to describe,
even though it spends a great deal of time explaining itself directly to the
audience. Right from the beginning Clancy, through the use of The Man
(Calvitto), sets about demystifying the essential illusions of live theater,
and any preconceptions the audience may have about what’s about to happen for
the next 60 minutes. But he doesn’t stop there. The Man slowly peels back the
layers of many social and ideological constructs and assumptions about
modern-day life to reveal some surprisingly obvious, yet undeniably
hard-to-swallow, basic truths. Some of them are superficial, some personal,
some cultural, some political. I won’t spoil the specific content, but I will
say that if you’ve ever thought, “What is the world coming to, and how did we
get here?” this is the show for you.

Except, that’s only true if you have an
attention span and patience. “The Event” is not performance art for the easily
distracted. There’s no razzle dazzle or flim flam — although there are several
solid laughs. But mostly it’s one guy, talking at a very rapid pace, almost
non-stop for 60 minutes, and asking you to think and really engage with what
he’s saying.

Calvitto does a good job playing with the show’s
many layers — or is that a total absence of layers? — and while he delivers
most of the lines in an odd, slightly rushed affect (I kept thinking of him as
a cross between Jeff Goldblum and Mr. Bean, and I cannot put my finger on why)
he’s quite good at lulling the crowd into gentle subservience with the fluffy
stuff and then pressing harder with the meaty observations. He did have a few
minor line flubs, but overall he gave an impressive performance of some tricky
material. It was a great way to start of the Fringe Festival. (NOTE: “The Event” will also be performed
Friday, September 21, 6-7:05 p.m. at Geva’s Nextstage. Tickets cost $15.)

My second stop of the night was to RAPA’s East
End Theatre for the debut performance of “Hide
the Moon.” This new piece was conceived by Eastman School of Music students
Andrew Pramuk, Alison Moritz, and Matt Moisey, and adapted from Oscar Wilde’s
“Salome.” As in the original, it retells the biblical story of Salome, the
innocent princess turned temptress whose dance of the seven veils results in
the beheading of John the Baptist. “Hide the Moon” incorporates live music performances
ranging from Fiona Apple to Broadway to Christian spirituals, plus costumes
inspired by early 20th century styles, and even a bit of 21st century technology.

The show started out slightly clunky, as the
performers took some time to settle into their roles. But things got steadily
better as the show went along, and it was absolutely riveting in parts. There
were times when the production felt shocking just for the sake of shock, but
it’s important to remember that these are students, and they are they still
figuring out their artistic sensibilities.

One of the most notable differences about “Hide
the Moon” is that the role of Salome is performed as a man, still referred to by
the characters as a female, but not played in drag. Andrew Pramuk played the
role well, with an odd mix of detached drone and unhinged zeal. In having a
male actor play the part, the show instantly raised additional questions about
gender and sexuality in a story already defined by sensuality and its link to power.
Moritz was commanding in the role of Salome’s mother, Herodias. Gabe Condon as
Jokanaan was routinely difficult to understand due to sound issues, which were
also problematic at other parts of the show as the music drowned out crucial
lines of dialogue. (I have absolutely no idea what Herodias said at the end of
the play.)

All that said, the show built to an undeniable
energy, and the troupe’s passion for the project was unmistakable. These are
young artists creating something new and different for local audiences, and it is
exactly what I was hoping the Fringe Festival would present us. “Hide the Moon”
could use a little fine tuning, but it’s an ambitious, auspicious start for
these students and the festival itself. (NOTE:
“Hide the Moon” will also be performed Saturday, September 22, at 10:30 p.m. at
RAPA’s East End Theatre. Admission is free, and the show is recommended for
audiences ages 16 and up.)

On Thursday night I’ll be checking out Bandaloop
dancing on the side of One HSBC Plaza, taking in the bellydance of Shimmy Shake
Down, and getting a shotgun blast of suburban housewife glamour courtesy of
Kasha Davis. What Fringe events are you looking forward to tonight?