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A CurtainUp Review
Tender Napalm
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"This island belongs to me! "— Woman "Eh?"— Man "One of my tentacles grabs your leg! "— Woman "Oh! I cut it with my sword."— Man "Ahh! Another tentacle grabs your arm. "— Woman "What arm? "— Man "The one holding the sword. " — Woman " Other hand takes the sword – WHACK!" — Man "What’ve you done? "— Woman "Chopped off your tentacles round my leg."— Man No — Woman " Yes. Scream."— — Man |
Amelia Workman and Blake Ellis
(Photo: Carol Rosegg) |
The audience sits lengthwise across the rectangular black box theater, two rows abreast on either side, as if in a miniature boxing ring. The pugilists, “Man” (Blake Ellis) and “Woman” (Amelia Workman) enter and immediately launch into warm-up exercises.
This is the battle royale of the sexes, a fight to the death, replete with below-the-belt punches. The blows are physical and verbal, but take place only in the inner worlds of the opponents, where the pain inflicted, the dredged-up grudges, and the occasional demonstrations of love are limited only by two imaginations in overdrive.
Our combatants, pretending to be stranded together on a desert island (save for some simian minions), invent elaborate mythologies about themselves as they trace the history of their relationship. Through a series of metaphorical vignettes, Man and Woman articulate, in ghastly detail, the methods by which they might, for instance, torture and disembowel each other, given the chance.
Movement Director Yasmine Lee has done a wonderful job with both the obviously athletic actors; as they conduct their faux combat, they gracefully inhabit a space that is only about twenty feet long and eight wide. Alas, it’s not enough to save the monotonous script.
Mr. Ridley who is, among other things, a children’s book author, sure can write. His words are often quite poetic. Unfortunately, Tender Napalm is a rarely moving yet overlong one-trick pony. In the end, the unrelenting and often hammy salvos of Man and Woman become tedious and even noisome.
Editor's Note: To read our London critic Sebastian King's more enhusiastic review when Tender Napalm ran in his city go here
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Tender Napalm By Philip Ridley Directed by Paul Takacs Cast: Blake Ellis (Man), Amelia Workman (Woman) Movement: Yasmine Lee Set Design: Steven C. Kemp Costume Design: Audrey Nauman Lighting Design: Dante Olivia Smith Sound Design: Toby Jaguar Algya Dialect Coach: Patricia Fletcher Production Stage Manager: Michele Connolly Running Time: One hour and forty minutes, no intermission 59E59 Theaters , 59 E. 59th St., NYC, www.59e59.org From August 23, 2012 – September 9, 2012; (limited run) Performance schedule : Tuesday - Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8:30 pm., Sundays at 3:30 pm Reviewed by William Coyle, based on the August 31, 2012 performance |
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