Michael Williams is a legend. I was a high school student many, many years ago when I first heard of him, and up to now, his role as the Stagehand in Terrence McNally's MASTERCLASS is the one I think of when telling students the old phrase, "There are no small roles..."
So you can imagine the state of excitement several audience members were in for the fourth and last play of CAST PH's third season of staged readings!
Director Andrei Pamintuan had Caisa Borromeo wheel herself in on a wheelchair, and our shock at seeing this was matched by the emotional jolt of witnessing her physical collapse and emotional breakdown, and the verbal bombs uttered in Act 2. Caisa Borromeo is Stephanie Abrahams, a famous violinist struck down by multiple sclerosis, the creeping paralysis disease. And she comes to see Dr. Alfred Feldmann (Williams), a psychiatrist, to treat her depression.
Although the play, "DUET FOR ONE" by Tom Kempinski, might seem offensive to some feminists, I think it's best taken in context, knowing what it was inspired by.
While watching the play, the thought crossed my mind that this seemed remarkably similar to what happened to the famous cellist, Jacqueline Du Pre, who had multiple sclerosis at 28 and died at 42. And after Googling the play, my suspicions proved correct. It was indeed based on Jacqueline Du Pre and her genius pianist/conductor husband, Daniel Barenboim.
I still remember how, a few years ago, I read the terrible biography written by Jacqueline's sister, "Genius in the Family," where the depths of suffering were revealed, and the sexual exploits of an artist struggling to feel alive reached the levels of the unthinkable and immoral. I remember closing the book with a sigh of relief, thinking, "If that's what genius entails, then thank heavens for being a mere mortal!"
Taken on its own merits, the play's first act was the strongest and left several of us tearful come intermission. The second act's script had descriptions of music's life-giving nature and the purpose of life which fell a bit flat and sounded cliche at times, but was vastly improved upon by the delivery of Borromeo and Williams.
And now I can't wait to see the 1987 film version starring Julie Andrews and Max von Sydow!!!
It's also worth noting that the fourth play tied together many themes present in the first three staged readings.
Like Mozart and Salieri in Play # 1, and Hank and Julian in Play # 3, the father-offspring relationship of Stephanie is analyzed and dissected, and makes one appreciate just how much our characters are formed (or deformed) by our parents. Like Mozart and Salieri, the theme of envy is discussed... a grim reminder that sometimes, one need not have done anything bad in order to be hated... that lack of misfortune is in itself reason enough for some to try to tear you down. Like Florence Foster Jenkins in Play # 2, Stephanie is dealing with a disease that threatens to kill the music in her, and both have to dig deep into themselves in order to keep making music, or find other ways of singing.
"We sing life itself, do we not? Is that not what we're doing?"
That's what music does. It teaches us to see events as notes that make up Life's chords... sometimes major, sometimes minor, but always with a cadence, a resolution.
"It's a journey. We make it together."
That's what being an audience member of CAST is all about. Featuring excellent plays, and actors... They take us on journeys into different times and places, and we emerge from Pineapple Lab better, richer people for having watched. Thank you CAST PH! Is it too early to reserve tickets for next season? Ahahaha. Congratulations Sarah Facuri and #castph!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment