The Happiest Medium » Everyday Inferno Theatre Company

Something Wicked (2014 Frigid New York Festival)

Geoffrey Paddy Johnson — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 17:20:51 +0000

Anaïs Koivisto’s Something Wicked, produced by the Everyday Inferno Theatre Company as part of this year’s Frigid New York Festival, consists almost entirely of original lines from Shakespeare‘s Macbeth, cropped and re-arranged in deconstructed collage form to explore, in a very modern way, the character and motivations of its notorious anti-heroine, Lady Macbeth. Academically of course, rivers of ink and storms of hot air have already been unleashed in this cause, so Koivisto’s contribution, for all its formal expressiveness and vibrancy, can only hope to stand some ground in an already crowded field. The alignment of character with fate is at the core of classical conceptions of tragedy but, however undeniably effective it is in art, it rankles with contemporary notions of personality development and redemption. Every generation has to find something of worth in the cultural inheritance of the previous in order to sustain an interest. Perhaps this is why the great villains of literature and history continue to demand our attention; we need to understand in a contemporary light what precisely made them tick.

Something Wicked commences at the instance of Lady Macbeth’s death. In the original play this momentous act occurs off stage and is merely a matter of report passed along to an already besieged and desperate Macbeth. Whatever the unsettling impact this unseen demise works on the imagination, for Koivisto it is an unsatisfactory way of finishing with the Lady. And so the action commences from this point and revolves entirely around the character, as she wakes to find herself in some otherworld, visited by the three Weird Sisters, who encircle her like tormenting Furies, recounting her deeds and conjuring scenes from her past. A weakened, bewildered soul, she observes her former steely self, black-eyed with murderous ambition, bloodthirsty in her speech, relentless in her provocation of her husband, and seems appalled. The original character’s abrupt shift from extreme ruthlessness to guilt-laden mental collapse is one of those undying academic topics of debate, but here Koivisto is unabashedly attempting to recast her in a more sympathetic light.

For the purpose the author has devised an ingenious re-ordering of the original lines, recited in over-lapping, echoing delivery by actors representing both the primary figures in the action, and the Lady herself (there are up to three separate Lady Macbeths on stage at any given time). Dark as it is, Macbeth is arguably one the Bard’s most linguistically rich poetic concoctions and Koivisto’s ear is sensitive to the meter and the music as she arranges one speech followed or over-taken by another. Music and movement seem close to the heart of this production. There is a sense that Koivisto, directing as well as adapting, is getting her actors’ movements to echo the rhythm of the line delivery, as if they are engaged in a formal dance of some complexity. This could be worked on to tighten up composition and co-ordination, but on a blank stage, with just rudimentary flat backdrops, it is a wonderful thing to watch when it flows.

A rich sense of theatricality is at play and Koivisto employs a bold pallet of effects. At one instant of heated drama the scene suddenly shifts from the Macbeth story to present four seated academic types all intoning opposing notions of just why Lady Macbeth behaves the way she does. It is a welcome eruption of comedy in an otherwise charged account, and the actors don’t miss a beat in the transition. Musical performances too are used to temper proceedings, but whilst they have a lyrical appeal, and one serves to present us with the strange sight of the thane and his wife engaged in a tango, they could be enfolded more smoothly into the action to prevent a drop in pace. The musicianship feels rather basic. In contrast to the production’s formal boldness, the visual style is minimal, but might have benefitted from a fresher approach. The preponderant insistence on black and red feels well worn, if not traditional. The actors are all on point and sound conversant with the Shakespearean language, but there are some moments of under projection, even in such a small auditorium.

“What’s done cannot be undone” is one of the lines frequently repeated here. It seems peculiarly relevant for Koivisto, as to whether she can successfully reveal a new part of her doomed, age old subject. She certainly succeeds in enhancing the tragic aura surrounding the Lady, and if tragedy, finally, is that which can ennoble humanity, then that’s saying much in regard to a figure most usually condemned to being one of theatre’s most notorious villainesses. Villainesses of course have always proven fascinating, and this original experiment in theatre proves no less so.

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Something Wicked
Company: Anais Koivisto & Everyday Inferno Theatre Co.
Directed by: Anais Koivisto

Remaining Performance:
Feb 25, 8:40PM
Mar 01, 2:05PM
Mar 08, 8:25PM

Click HERE for tickets

Running time: 1 h 0 min
Price: $14.00 – $16.00
Seating: General Admission

The Kraine Theater
85 E. 4th Street
New York , New York 10003
2nd and 3rd Ave

Horse Trade Theater Group will present the 8th Annual FRIGID New York Festival at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4^th Street between 2^nd Avenue and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1^st Avenue and Avenue A) February 19-March 9. Tickets are available for purchase in advance at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling 212-868-4444212-868-4444.

Something Wicked: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2014 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)

Karen Tortora-Lee — Mon, 03 Feb 2014 19:35:17 +0000

Ten Questions. Ten Answers. And One Big Decision: Rock, Paper, Or Scissors?

Something Wicked

Production Company: Everyday Inferno Theatre Company

“The Queen, my lord, is dead.” Lady Macbeth awakes to a purgatory created from her own gruesome misdeeds. Unsure whether her final destination is Heaven or Hell, and guided by three gleefully tormenting witches, she searches for answers… and her lost love… in the mind-bending hereafter. Something Wicked rips open Shakespeare’s classic text to find the beating heart of a new tale that pulses with dance, music, and dark humor, guaranteeing a haunting and lively evening for all who attend.

Show Times:

Thurs 2/20 @ 10:15pm
Sun 2/23 @ 5:15pm,
Tues 2/25 @ 8:40pm
Sat 3/1 @ 2:05pm
Sat 3/8 @ 8:25pm

Answers by Anais Koivisto (Director & Adaptor)

1. Your tag line is out there on postcards and press releases so we know the PR version of what this play is about. But when you talk to your family and friends, how do you explain the show to them?

AK: I polled a couple of people involved in the production for a good answer to this question and got: “Terry Gilliam picks up where Shakespeare leaves off.”
Makes you want to see it, amiright? Our play picks up at the exact moment of Lady Macbeth’s suicide and then follows her as she makes a journey through the afterlife. It’s a play about guilt, desire, love, hate, forgiveness – you know, all the sexy stuff. And then there’s also dancing. And live music. We’ve got a ridiculously talented cast.

2. Here’s a scenario: After the show some audience members go have a drink. What’s the part of the show you hope they’re discussing?

AK: I hope they’re saying how kick ass it was (and that they happen to be very enthusiastic and wealthy patrons of the arts)… but also that they are considering the final moment of the show: making their own decisions about what happens to our leading lady after the lights go down. Either that or they’re talking about how hot the tango was.

3. What drives your show – character, theme or plot?

AK: Oh boy. This is like the Sophie’s Choice of interview questions. Can I say all of them? No? Ok… well then… I’m going to go with character in that case. We’re delving a bit deeper into Lady M’s psyche than we get a chance to in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. We’re trying to get a sense of what makes her tick.

4. In rehearsals, read-thrus, or prior incarnations, what’s the one thing someone said about the show so far that made you (or the team) the most proud?

AK: Hands down the feedback I’ve been most proud of so far was that we’ve given Lady Macbeth her due. She’s a brilliant creation – absolutely one of my favorite of Shakespeare’s women – but she has surprisingly little actual stage time considering her enduring impact on popular culture. In our production, she never leaves the stage!

5. Let’s fantasize for a moment. Let’s take the “off-off” off. Imagine this show is on Broadway. Would that change the production itself?

AK: We would definitely add a full kick-line of dancing Hell minions to follow Lady Macbeth in her journey and provide a little extra zip to the musical numbers. Seriously, though… while I could imagine a gorgeous off-Broadway production of Something Wicked, I think Broadway itself would be too large for the piece we’ve created. Our show deals with some powerful emotions in an intimate and honest way; I think the opportunity to see that journey taken by the characters up close is one of its greatest strengths.

6. Taking that one step further – after paying everyone what they’re worth of course, what is the most lavish, luxurious, pointless thing you would spend money on if there was no constraints?

AK: Since the aforementioned kick-line has already been taken care of, I think the next logical step would be to add in a 100 person choreographed stage battle to flesh out the reality of Macbeth’s death. That, or put the witches on wires and fly them around the space for the entire play (tagline: “It’s like Turn off the Dark… with murder!).

7. Is there a scene, a moment, a gesture … anything at all in the show that you anticipate may get a completely different reaction depending on the audience that night?

AK: Several characters from Shakespeare’s Macbeth are given a chance to speak to Lady M from beyond the grave in Something Wicked. The way in which one of them chooses to use that opportunity is unexpected – I think that the audience’s opinions on the choice he makes will definitely vary from person to person and night to night.

8. What’s your favorite line from the show?

AK: About 99% of our text is Shakespeare’s so, you know, it’s all pretty great. My impulse is to say that my favorite line is: “This place is too cold for Hell.” It’s a line we use several times in different key moments of the piece, and it never fails to send a little shiver down my back.

9. Is the world of this play sustainable outside a theatre? In other words … do you think people live the way the characters do? Would you want a world where they do?

AK: Well, none of our characters are alive anymore, so let’s hope not! I can say that I certainly hope that whatever form the afterlife takes, it doesn’t look at all like the one in our play. Then again, since I’m not a serial murderess, I suspect I might have an easier judgement process than our Lady M even if it does.

10. You scan the audience and you see a face that stops you dead in your tracks – who is it? And why are you shocked?

AK: It’s one of those creepy masks from Sleep No More and I’m freaking out because, let’s be honest, they’re terrifying.

Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH

In the THM virtual Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH which FRIGID Show do you take on? And what do you throw?

CHALLENGES: I’m going to say we’ll take on our competition in supernatural subject matter: Real Dead Ghosts.

THROWS: Scissors seem an appropriately knife-like throw for our show.

Well! This is exciting! Real Dead Ghosts threw ROCK in their interview so unfortunately, Something Wicked, you have been CRUSHED. The Queen, my lord, IS dead! But don’t worry! There are other players coming up and any one of them could have taken you on and thrown paper in which case you will reign victorious. Don’t forget, you’re officially SCISSORS in any and all challenges. You may win, you may lose – who knows! This is how it works in the crazy world of the Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament of DEAAAAATH!

Thanks Something Wicked for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2014 Q&A. And for playing our game!

For the rest of you don’t forget to check out Something Wicked !

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Feb 20, 10:15PM
Feb 23, 5:15PM
Feb 25, 8:40PM
Mar 01, 2:05PM
Mar 08, 8:25PM

The Kraine Theater | $14.00 / $16.00

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