Theater Review

'Beowulf' rocks the house at Trinity

By F. William Oakes
Posted 9/25/16

“Beowulf” is a blast! Now, that sentence may seem incredulous to anyone who had to slog through the saga as part of freshman English required reading; but at Trinity Rep, trust me, …

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Theater Review

'Beowulf' rocks the house at Trinity

Posted

“Beowulf” is a blast! Now, that sentence may seem incredulous to anyone who had to slog through the saga as part of freshman English required reading; but at Trinity Rep, trust me, it’s true. And the reason why is clever staging and good ol’ fashioned rock and roll. Here, ancient poetry seems a post-modern ecstasy as this most ancient of tales is transformed into a raucous rock opera.
The juxtaposition ain’t as odd as it seems at first glance; indeed the two disparate art forms seem made for each other. Soaring anthem rock serves the saga of avenging hero very well, the ancient bards would not only approve but would fervently wish for an electric harp of their own. The show becomes a sheer celebration, the staging is sharp and the music is wonderful, delivered with considerable brio and sheer verve by the solid ensemble collected at Trinity Rep.
And the ingenuity doesn’t end there. Nothing here is quite what it seems on the surface. There are narrators here who relate and interact with the tale, a panel of literary scholars, overstuffed with self-regard, who explain, over-analyze and deconstruct the text even as we witness it. It is an apt and witty lampooning of academia and the fact that it is the critics who become the monsters our hero faces adds considerably to the fun here.
And a heck of a lot of fun it is, too. There is a good-natured earnestness to these proceedings and while
ample irony abounds this is achieved without knowing and snarky winks and nudges to the audience. The show works because it is told simply, straightforwardly and with lots of heartfelt soul and it is all the more solid and fun for that. Raucously and unapologetically, it is what it is.
But what makes this show really soar are the songs, which are absolutely fantastic. Dave Malloy’s music is thrilling and tuneful, electric, exciting and, yes, epic. The lyrics by Jason Craig, who also penned the clever script, not only tell and propel the story well but are very clever with occasional flashes of poetic brilliance, one example of which is an Olde English invocation of a dragon.
All of this is staged stunningly and straightforwardly by Curt Columbus, and he adds along the way of our epic quest many little clever touches and flourishes. Various sorts of different media are utilized; there are knowing and relevant references to our own modern world and excellent use is made of the huge clever puppets designed by Shoshanna Utchenik. As Stephen Berenson assumes the role of Grendel for his battle with Beowulf he dons an oversize costume of odds and ends comprising of all the detritus of past and present; here is history as a costume to cloak ourselves in.
Likewise when we meet Beowulf himself he is every inch an action hero both ancient and modern, shirtless, clad in black leather kilt, football shoulder pads with an American flag cloaking his frame. He is played here with great athletic gusto by Charlie Thurston. He’s got the great singing chops for this role and I liked how he made our hero just a wee bit dim, checking in with the onstage academics and historians to see if he was in the right place in the story. He’s a rock star wonder in this show.
These monstrous academics are played by Stephen Berenson, Anne Scurria, and Janice Duclos, and each are marvelous and delightful in these roles. Mr. Berenson is positively cat-like as he assumes the role of Grendel and the fact that this dread monster is an earnest and ordinary guy, with needs and fears of his own, adds considerably to the fun.
Anne Scurria possesses a palpable sense of high self-regard as an academic and reminds us that even monster’s mothers have feelings too. Janice Duclos is, as always, fun and formidable onstage and possesses a strong, sweet singing voice as she warbles in Olde English.
Joe Wilson, Jr. rocks the room as King Hrothgar, he’s always dazzling to behold but here also conveys a ruler with feet of clay, as indecisive in his own way as a Danish Prince from another play.
A chorus of warriors comprise the rest of the cast and they are absolutely astounding. They consist of Rachael Warren, Rebecca Gibel, Rachel Clausen, Laura Lyman Payne, and Brad Wilson, and collectively make for a magnificent and mesmerizing onstage presence. Onstage almost for the entire two hour span of the show they seem constantly in motion, never stopping and always nimbly dancing the athletic and strenuous choreography of Jude Sandy. This is as heroic and impressive a feat as I’ve ever witnessed.
All are wonderful but Rachael Warren stops the show, raises the roof and brings down the house when she belts out the heartfelt rock anthem “Not Only.” Her ever-vibrant voice has never sounded better. The expert and hard-rocking band is made up of Michael Rice, Karen Orsi and Mike Sartini and these three pack a mighty and joyous wallop.
To over-analyze these proceedings is to risk sounding like the puffed up critics this show lampoons. But the epic song saga of the bards, described here as “predetermined hero fable games”, is the foundation of our culture and that’s the reason myths endure. The action hero archetype is essential to our collective western consciousness and persists in our art, politics and comic books. That this can also be a whole lot of sheer fun is the revelation that Trinity Rep provides as it creates an onstage party that never relents. “Beowulf” rocks the house, mocks the academics and never takes itself too seriously even as the show stays true to the source material. Now that’s cause for celebration. Turns out that when you want the original rocking action hero that there is nothing like a Dane.

“Beowulf, A Thousand Years Of Baggage” at Trinity Repertory Company, now through October 9, see listings for details.

Trinity Rep, F. William Oakes

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