Displaying items by tag: Mitchell Jackson

In an opening scene of “Duck Soup,” a new adaptation by The Conspirators of the Marx Brothers 1933 film, the wealthy heiress Gloria Teasdale (Hayden Hartrick), has been asked to increase her financial support of the deficit-ridden, mythical nation of Freedonia.

“Just loan us $20 billion dollars, so we can lower taxes,” they exhort the dowager widow. She agrees, but with one condition: they must appoint as president with unlimited power her chosen candidate, a whimsical reform-minded television star, Rufus T. Firefly (Mitchell Jackson).

Before this scene unfolds, however, playwright Sid Feldman artfully tips us off that we may see parallels to current events - wealth disparities, autocratic leadership, former TV stars in power. We witness a plaintive rendition of “Brother Can You Spare a Dime” by a hobo veteran (Tucker Privette). “They used to tell me I was building a dream…why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?”) And then appears a red and white MAGA cap, the G covered over with F - for Freedonia.

Back in Freedonia, the ministers agree to Teasdale’s terms. And in short order, Firefly appears.
In the film version of “Duck Soup,” Firefly is played by Groucho Marx, who was indeed a television star. Is this beginning to sound familiar?

Jackson channels Groucho's style, representing in the playwright's film adaptation his penchant for a fast-paced barrage of throwaway jokes and puns, many of them bawdy. Hartrick is perhaps even more remarkable in the role of the dowager Teasdale, matching that aristocratic mid-Atlantic accent Margaret Dumont brought to the film, and like Dumont decked out in formal gown, crowned with a glittering diadem.

This memorable scene between the two captures Dumont’s obliviousness to Firefly’s degrading overtures:
Rufus T. Firefly: Not that I care, but where is your husband?
Mrs. Teasdale: Why, he's dead.
Rufus T. Firefly: I bet he's just using that as an excuse.
Mrs. Teasdale: I was with him to the very end.
Rufus T. Firefly: No wonder he passed away.
Mrs. Teasdale: I held him in my arms and kissed him.
Rufus T. Firefly: Oh, I see, then it was murder. Will you marry me? Did he leave you any money? Answer the second question first.
Mrs. Teasdale: He left me his entire fortune.
Rufus T. Firefly: Is that so? Can't you see what I'm trying to tell you? I love you.

If Groucho is onstage, trust that Harpo (Sarah Franzel as the film character Pinky) and Chico (Deacon Leer as the film character Chicolini) are not far behind. We’re treated to classic sight gags and verbal puns drawn from the Marx Brothers’ treasury of schtick that is both laugh-inducing and readily recognized by fans. As in the film, a scene where the three appear in bedshirts and nightcaps, mimicking each other, is very funny. Many other scenes from the film, and the core structure of its plot is transplanted to live action. Kudos to director WM Bullion, for in comedy timing is everything, and under his baton the performers don’t miss a beat.

While so many of the performances are noteworthy, Sarah Franzel in the role of Pinky is truly memorable. Franzel gives the silent Marx Brother, the one who speaks only by honking a horn, a sharp intensity, almost bird-like looking here and there, and reacting just so to the surrounding action. Deacon Leer likewise is remarkably funny as the fake-Italian Chicolini, the name referencing Mussolini. (The film “Duck Soup,” notably, was banned in Italy during Mussolini’s years in power.)

In addition to transplanting events from a 1933 film, this “Duck Soup” makes them current, setting them in contemporary times amid a retro landscape. A famous routine from the film, for instance, which takes place as a bedroom phone conversation between Firefly and Teasdale, is updated to a texting exchange that becomes borderline sexting. Playwright Feldman, and the cast, pull it off, even funnier than the original. Likewise some of the just plain comical scenes - Chico and Harpo gabbing with a government functionary while driving him bananas with their antics - are timeless hilarity.

But an additional complexity comes with the unique acting approach used by The Conspirators, which eschews naturalism for a highly stylized approach known as The Style. Developed by Tim Robbins for The Actors Gang in Los Angeles, it’s a blend of 16th century Commedia dell' Arte, Kabuki, Looney Tunes and a high-energy punk-rock aesthetic. Actors, made up in thick white greasepaint with dark browlines and furrows drawn in, express but four emotions, all in the extreme: fear, anger, happiness, and sadness. Lines are delivered full throttle, and a percussionist on-stage adds drum rolls, cow bell, etc. in response. Anthony Soto performed on opening night, and was decidedly hilarious, especially taking on the duties for a garbled voice on the telephone receiver in several scenes.

In previous shows, The Style has dominated delivery. In “Duck Soup,” it’s softened a bit, as the comedy is more reliant on the funny lines and comic timing. The formula works well for this “Duck Soup,” though I missed the extremes The Style can deliver as we’ve seen in The Conspirators’ takes on Shakespeare in “Chicago Cop Macbeth” and Dario Fo’s “Accidental Death of a Black Motorist." Nevertheless, this is time well spent in the theater, and is a lot of fun.

The original “Duck Soup” was a satire of the rising fascism in Europe. This “Duck Soup” brings that message home. "Duck Soup" extended through December 7th at Stars & Garters, 3914 N. Clark in Chicago.

“Viva La Mort: A Play With Songs” mines the 1956 Swiss novel “The Visit” by Friedrich Durrenmatt that came to further fame in a 1964 Hollywood melodrama with Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Quinn. In the original, a wealthy woman arrives in the poverty-stricken hamlet of her childhood, offering to restore the town and provide a bounty for each of its citizens, with one condition: she wants the man who spurned her as a youth, but now is a pillar of the community, to be killed. How far will the citizens go in exacting her retribution?

This is one of The Conspirators’ most ambitious efforts, and resident playwright Sid Feldman  (it's directed by Wm.Bullion) has artfully updated the storyline—the setting moves to small town Michigan, the wealthy woman is modeled after Madonna, and some fresh faces fill major roles. This includes Andrew Bosworth, who leads the cast as Mort Miller, the love interest of Viva, familiar to audiences for recent roles in “Innocence of Seduction” and “Man of the People.”

The title character, Viva, is played by Libby Conkle, who is superlative. So is Liam Ouweleen as her current flames in three convincingly delivered dialect roles: Spanish Lonnie, British Konnnie, and the American jock, Johnny. It was remarkable to see actors more schooled in naturalistic performance adopt The Conspirators unique style, with exaggerated expressions and heavy makeup playing against the continuous commentary of the percussionist, Aimee Bass. All were game for The Conspirators’ approach and blended pretty smoothly with the regular troupe. 

Costumes by Kit Medic are among the best we've seen at The Conspirators, a critical element for the character of Viva. And aspects of the show are on a par with the best The Conspirators have produced. (The hilarious "Commedia Divina" "Commedia Divina" returns in October 2024; don't miss it.)  

Alas, one weakness lies in the script, which might have been improved by cutting it into a single act of 90-minutes, instead of two acts with intermission. The first half lags, and scenes are inflated to allow for stage funny business, the stock-in-trade of The Conspirators’ neo-commedia dell'arte format, which they dub “The Style.” A sense of slapdash detracted from the power of the story, which examines how townsfolk will turn on their own, when enough money is dangled before them.

Sets were minimal, but this isn’t doesn’t detract from “Viva La Mort,” as is true of most of The Conspirators shows. The high energy hijinx are completely absorbing and largely entertaining. One other problem was the sound, which was good overall, but weak in a crucial scene where Viva sings wearing a headset that unfortunately muffled her vocals against the rest of the players.

Nevertheless the story carried, and the strength of the stars overcomes less successful aspects of the show. “Viva La Mort” runs through June 9 at Other World Theater, 3914 N. Clark in Chicago.