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Tuesday, December 14, 2004
‘Topdog’ update: Anybody seen both casts?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Not long ago, I wrote about the rotation of the “Topdog/Underdog” cast at the Alliance. For my money, it’s the city’s best show of the moment (not that I’m claiming to have checked out ALL our holiday offferings, but you know.) Unfortunately, we forgot to post that review on our blog. So I am am doing so belatedly. But I’m curious. Has anyone seen both casts? What do you think?
To get you going, here’s what we published on Dec. 2. :
Lincoln, Booth characters do a switcheroo in ‘Topdog/Underdog’
If you want to see two performers work every muscle in their body and brain, check out the Alliance Theatre’s “Topdog/Underdog.”
      Kent Gash’s production of Suzan-Lori Park’s 2002 Pulitzer Prize winner requires its two-man cast to alternate roles after each performance. Pick the Diamonds cast, and you get Joe Wilson Jr. as Lincoln and Kes Khemnu as Booth. Pick the Clubs cast, and you get the opposite. (The quick-switches and gambling nomenclature are references to the brothers’ love of the street-hustling game known as three-card monte.)
      Inevitably, ticket buyers will want to know whether to bet on Diamonds or Clubs, and the truth is that either wager is a winner.
      Not only do Wilson and Khemnu memorize Parks’ dense, emotionally zigzagging two-hander in its 105-page entirety; in both cases, they find the musicality of the language, the humanity and tentative affections of the characters and the comedic undertones of the conflict.
        And when they change places, they don’t merely imitate one another; they completely reinvent themselves, introduce new stage tricks and ignite the house with a sexy combination of free-flying energy and intense discipline.
       That said, my personal pick is Diamonds, and it’s largely a matter of physicality: Wilson’s elegant, somewhat dour demeanor makes him a more complex Lincoln; whereas Khemnu creates a tragicomic Booth who is big, loud and messy.
       But if Khemnu’s stocky, galumphing Lincoln takes a little getting used to, the actor eventually settlesinto the performance with spunk and good humor. He doesn’t just rear back in a recliner, he capsizes it. Wilson, for his part, calls upon an arsenal of details —- notice his Booth’s protruding lower lip, the flicking wrists —- to transform himself into a troubled urban street tough. It’s a remarkable reversal.
      As Atlanta theater slides into a comfort zone of holiday offerings, Parks’ story is the most essential production of the moment. “Topdog/Underdog” may be a story of envy and murder, but it keens with love and sorrow. —- Wendell Brock
    > THE 411: $25-$30. 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Through Dec. 19. Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Midtown. 404-733-5000, www.alliancetheatre.org.
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Alliance’s timeless ‘Christmas Carol’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THE ALLIANCE THEATRE’S Broadway-scale staging of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” remains the granddaddy of all the city’s versions of the classic, a joy to see again and again. Here’s why.
IT LOOKS GREAT: Martyn Bookwalter’s lavish set is chockablock with objects that evoke Scrooge’s lair, the Fezziwigs’ ball and, at times, the whole of London. The overflowing stage is so full of stuff it looks like the decorator has used every prop in Atlanta, then flocked it all with snow.
NIFTY SPECIAL EFFECTS: Marley’s ghost flies across the stage Peter Pan style. The Ghost of Christmas Past sprouts magically from a cupboard in Scrooge’s living room, and Christmas Future pops up mysteriously through a trap door under Scrooge’s bed. The fog machine works overtime to keep London looking wonderfully mysterious.
IT’S A MUSICAL: Director David Bell seamlessly weaves Christmas carols throughout the show and uses a diverse cast. There’s a black Mrs. Cratchit (Tracey Copeland) and a white Bob Cratchit (Brad Sherrill), and the Cratchit children come in all sizes and shades.
CLEVER CASTING: This year Carol Mitchell-Leon fills in for Elisabeth Omilami as Mrs. Fezziwig and Mrs. Dilbert. She’s good but her voice doesn’t compare to Omiliami’s, who owned the part. Chandra Currelly (Bess) has a magnificent voice and good comedic chops, and to my mind would be a better choice in these crucial roles. The transformation of Chris Kayser (pictured) into a gray and withered Scrooge is remarkable, as always.
The Alliance Theatre’s Broadway-scale staging of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” remains the granddaddy of all the city’s versions of the classic, a joy to see again and again. Here’s why.
*IT LOOKS GREAT: Martyn Bookwalter’s lavish set is chockablock with objects that evoke Scrooge’s lair, the Fezziwigs’ ball and, at times, the whole of London. The overflowing stage is so full of stuff it looks like the decorator has used every prop in Atlanta, then flocked it all with snow.
*NIFTY SPECIAL EFFECTS: Marley’s ghost flies across the stage Peter Pan style. The Ghost of Christmas Past sprouts magically from a cupboard in Scrooge’s living room, and Christmas Future pops up mysteriously through a trap door under Scrooge’s bed. The fog machine works overtime to keep London looking wonderfully mysterious.
*IT’S A MUSICAL: Director David Bell seamlessly weaves Christmas carols throughout the show and uses a diverse cast. There’s a black Mrs. Cratchit (Tracey Copeland) and a white Bob Cratchit (Brad Sherrill), and the Cratchit children come in all sizes and shades.
*CLEVER CASTING: This year Carol Mitchell-Leon fills in for Elisabeth Omilami as Mrs. Fezziwig and Mrs. Dilbert. She’s good but her voice doesn’t compare to Omiliami’s, who owned the part. Chandra Currelly (Bess) has a magnificent voice and good comedic chops, and to my mind would be a better choice in these crucial roles. The transformation of Chris Kayser (pictured) into a gray and withered Scrooge is remarkable, as always.
*MODEL CENTRAL: With Clifton Guterman (Peter Cratchit), Eddie Gillot (Dick Wilkins), Christopher DesRoches (Young Scrooge), Daniel May (Fred), William Rushton (Tiny Tim) and Caleb Young (Ignorance/Match Boy), this is the best-looking male ensemble on an Atlanta stage. In Mariann S. Verheyen’s plushly upholstered Victorian costumes, these are some very pretty men, women and children.
Despite some fuzzy singing and unintelligible speaking by some younger cast members, this is an altogether lovely and miraculous "Christmas Carol." If you can only see a single holiday show, this is the one.
SHOW INFORMATION: $25-$45. 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Through Dec. 26. 2:30 p.m. Dec. 21-23. Alliance Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. N.E., Midtown. 404-733-5000, www.alliancetheatre.org.
