By Judd
Hollander
There is
a fine line between love, hate, obsession and disgust. Such is the ground
explored in the 1994 musical Passion
(music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine, based on the film Passione D'Amore, directed by Ettore
Scola, originally directed on Broadway by James Lapine) now being presented Off-Broadway
by the Classic Stage Company. While the story and indeed the entire cast tackle
the subject head-on, a key plot point and some directorial missteps threaten to
derail the emotional impact of the production.
In Milan , Italy
But Fosca
has more than friendship on her mind, having fallen in love with Giorgio at
first sight. Her desperate and cloying attitude towards him repels Giorgio to
no end. Yet as Tambourri (Tom Nelis), the company doctor, explains, it is
Giorgio's visits with Fosca that are literally giving her the will to live and a
reason to struggle on against her various debilitating conditions. Finding
himself between the proverbial rock and a hard place, Giorgio soon finds himself becoming
smothered by Fosca's attempts at affection, ones which soon begin to take their
toll on his mental health and which also threaten his relationship with Clara.
Passion is an
intensely intimate and personal tale and works wonderfully in a technical sense
as presented in the relatively small CSC space, making one feel as if they're
right in the midst of the action; whether it is Giorgio or Clara making love -
a moment which opens the show - or in Fosca's private chamber during one of
many confrontations and realizations. Sondheim and Lapine pull no punches here,
showing in words and music how quickly one's emotions, feelings and perceptions
of another can change, with reason all too often going by the wayside to follow
a course one knows deep down is the right thing to do, even if no one else may
see it that way.
Sadly,
much of what is presented is ultimately undone by a key plot point that doesn't
really work. When Giorgio is in Milan
on leave, Clara, who has learned all about Fosca through her lover's letters to
her, as well as seeing the stress and emotional toll it's taking on him, begs
him not to go back. However Giorgio refuses saying it's his duty to keep taking
care of Fosca. Yet moments before this scene, Giorgio demonstrated his extreme
disgust of Fosca's obsession with him as well as his desperate desire to get
away from her. As such, his subsequent reactions do not make sense. Seeing those
two scenes, one after the other, makes one feel as if something was cut from
the play; the immediate effect of which being the sudden removal of the
audience from the immediacy of the situation. It's a problem from which the
show never fully recovers.
The three
leads are all excellent. Kuhn steals the show as Fosca, a beaten-down woman who
has suffered great heartbreak throughout her life and, as she says to Giorgio
at one point, doesn't know how to love. The actress delivers a superlative
portrayal here with her every step and movement showing the pain she is
carrying inside. While Fosca's actions towards Giorgio may be way over the line
– in reality she's not far removed from being a stalker – she does cause
Giorgio to realize that love is more simply a word to be bandied about in the
heat of passion. Rather, it's one which is linked irrevocably to reasonability
and commitment. Situations Giorgio had never seriously considered before now.
Errico
fine as Clara, seemingly little more than a pretty woman in the beginning, but one
who has a keen intuition and who begins to see, long before Giorgio does, the
effect Fosca has on him. Clara's also terribly realistic when it comes to her
trysts with Giorgio. Loving him whenever she can steal away from her husband,
but fearful of what would happen if their relationship became known.
Silverman
makes a good Giorgio. A bit bland in the beginning, and perhaps deliberately
so, he quickly bring forth a character with the soul of a poet. He's also a
person caught between two very different women, while struggling with feelings
he cannot fully comprehend. A scene between Giorgio and Fosca concerning the
writing of a love letter is particularly wrenching to watch.
Elsewhere,
Bogardus does fine work as the officious and congenial Colonel Ricci, while
Nelis is very good as Doctor Tambourri - someone who wants to make sure Fosca
has the best care possible, but who have may have overstepped his bounds while
trying to do so. The rest of the cast, all of whom are pretty interchangeable,
do their jobs quite well.
John
Doyle's direction is a bit of mixed bag. While he keeps the story moving well
and has a firm grasp of the material, he's unable to get the show past the plot
problem mentioned above. There's also a somewhat strange moment early on where Giorgio
smiles noticeably while relating to Clara his pity and contempt for Fosca after
their first meeting. It's an action which is incongruous to the character and
also rather distracting. One wonders whether the actor or director came up with
the idea and why it was ultimately used.
The Sondheim
score is enjoyable to hear, though none of the musical is particularly
memorable. Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick are excellent. It also helps that
all of the actors have strong singing voices, with the entire cast - especially
Errico, Kuhn, Silverman and Bogardus - bringing forth the emotional elements of
the songs. Doyle's design of the show is fine and the costumes by Ann
Hould-Ward are a joy to behold. Lighting by Jane Cox is nicely effective, as is
the sound design by Dan Moses Schreier.
Passion is a musical
that has a lot to say about the human heart, about the true meanings of beauty
and responsibility and most of all, about love. Yet for the tale to truly work
it must be continuously believable and for one glaring moment at least, it
fails in that regard. The performances, though, definitely make this a show
worth seeing.
Passion
Featuring:
Stephen Bogardus (Colonel Ricci), Jeffry Denman (Lieutenant Barri/Mother),
Melissa Errico (Clara), Jason Michael Evans (Private Augenti/Mistress) Ken
Krugman (Lieutenant Torasso/Father), Judy Kuhn (Fosca), Orville Mendoza
(Sergeant Lombardi) Tom Nelis (Doctor Tambourri), Will Reynolds (Major
Rizzolli/Ludovic), Ryan Silverman (Giorgio)
Music and
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by
James Lapine
Based on
the film Passione D'Amore, directed by Ettore Scola
Originally
Directed on Broadway by James Lapine
Costume
Design: Ann Hould-Ward
Lighting
Design: Jane Cox
Sound
Design: Dan Moses Schreier
Music
Coordinator: Seymour Red Press
Associate
Costume Design: Christopher Vergara
Associate
Lighting Design: Bradley King
Associate
Sound Design: Nicholas Pope, Joshua Reid
Associate
Set Design: David L. Arsenault
Associate
Music Design: Greg Jarrett
Associate
Director: Adam John Hunter
Make-up
Design: Angelina Avallone
Hair
Consultants: J Jared Janas & Rob Greene
Casting:
Calleri Casting
Press
Representative: The Publicity Office
Production
Supervisor: Production Core
Managing
Director: Jeff Griffin
Production
Stage Manager: Adam John Hunter
Associate
Stage Manager: Claudia Lynch
Orchestrations
by Jonathan Tunick
Musical
Direction by Rob Berman
Directed
and Designed by John Doyle
Presented by Classic Stage Company
Tickets:
212-352-3101 or www.classicstage.org
Running
Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes, no intermission
Closes: April 19, 2013
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