4 Cents Review – When 2 reviewers each give their 2 cents.

Today it takes both Tortora-Lees (Karen and Stephen) to give The Land Whale Murders the consideration it deserves.

For those of you who have already had the opportunity to experience a play by writer Jonathan A. Goldberg (such as The Luck of the Ibis) you’ll no doubt know what I mean when I say that it’s as if Goldberg lets both hands write two plays independently of each other simultaneously – one fully right brain, the other fully left – and then allows his subconscious to stitch  them together till it all makes sense.  This is his gift – this is where he succeeds when others fail.  And this is why The Land Whale Murders is both difficult to describe, yet impossible to forget.

Richard Hollman, Nathaniel Kent, Jennifer Joan Thompson, Carl Howell, Amy Landon, Robert Michael McClure (Photo by Eric Michael Pearson)

Boiled down to its essence The Land Whale Murders is a murder mystery set in the late 1890s in New York’s gritty underbelly.  It is a unique time – where we can almost see the modern world – yet still can feel the odd quirks of  the old fashioned time preceding it.  So, while this is a coming of age story for the characters, it is also one for the country, as the United States moves from its adolescence into the beginning of the modern age.

But even more importantly The Land Whale Murders is a grand  majestic romp full of comedic bits that take those odd facets of the Gilded Age and serve them up in a wacky steam punk adventure that turns out to be quite historically accurate.  So, as comical as it may sound as a plot line – strap in, New Yorkers, for this is your city in its youth: whale oil was having its last gasps as a precious commodity while crude oil was becoming the new industrial force in the world, and Theodore Roosevelt was New York’s police commissioner. An odd group of concerned citizens (the Amercian Acclimatization Society) really did release All the Birds of Shakespeare’s Plays into Central Park.  Naturalists, thrilling for adventure  and calling for change, abounded throughout the period.  So, nutty as it seems, the old adage rings true – you can’t make this stuff up.

Carl Howell and Robert Michael McClure (Photo by Eric Michael Pearson)

What you can do, however, if you’re a playwright in search of a whale of a tale, is mix in some Victorian naturalists who like to be known as the Four Elementals  – murder one of them in the Prologue – and set the remaining 3 off and running in this crazy quilt of a city.  The audience is then left to watch what happens as an adventuring botanist (Angus Troup played by Amy Landon), a clumsy but well-meaning ornithologist (Eugene Neddly played by Carl Howell), and a fiery poetess (Maryanne Blud, played by Jennifer Joan Thompson) , try to solve the murder of a passionate oceanographer (Hiram Blud, played by Robert Michael McClure) while simultaneously trying to save the citizens of New York from the threat of a land whale.  They’re in a dead heat with a cold hearted female pirate – Pirate Penny – who is supported by a roving gang of eye-patch wearing goons (A bunch of former whalers and fishermen who now practice land piracy. You recognize them because they all wear eye patches . . . whether they need them or not!) who “reckon good and evil is more a social construct”.   On top of all this, the Remaining Elementals must deal with the daily ins and outs of navigating their relationships with each other.

These Three Elementals hide their eyebrow-raising predilections (oh, hell no – tell me she’s not kissing a . . . ), crack their one liners, and try not to get clobbered by The Big Stick (aka Teddy Roosevelt, played by Richard Hollman).   But come on, this group once banded together and fought a mummy (a mummy!) – do you think a whale oil tycoon like Henry B. Lubbins III (played by Nathaniel Kent) poses such a problem?  Even when he says – about America adopting petroleum as an energy source  – “You sound like that fool Rockefeller.  America runs on whale juice.  Now and forever.” No.  No, he does not.  In fact, Henry B. Lubbins turns out to be  . . . well . . . otherwise octopied.  (You read that right.  Octopus – Octopied).

Director Tom Ridgely clearly understands Goldberg’s madcap vision and brings it to life stunningly.  He uses fight choreographer Rod Kinter to full advantage throughout; if you’re a fan of Kinter’s brilliantly inventive fights (and I am) you’ll thrill each time the music swells around another great fracas of stage combat.

While I’m not a fan of comparing one medium to another in order to give certain aspects a deeper sense of validity I still must say that there is something very cinematic about The Land Whale Murders – specifically when it comes to the original music (by John Balicanta) and overall sound design (by M. L. Dogg) which works hand in hand with Greg Goff’s dramatic lighting design. Underscoring scenes and transitions, these elements often adds a note of subtle humor, allowing a broadly acted scene to come off stronger and more complete.  Similarly, set design  Jason Simms keeps the scenery to a minimum but pulls out the best tricks for the times they’ll pack the biggest punch. And, if you’re a fan of steam punk you’ll adore the costumes Deanna Frieman created.

Perfectly paced, beautifully staged, brilliantly acted – The Land Whale Murders will surprise you, delight you, and leave you fully entertained.   You’ll also never look at a ficus, an octopus or a big stick in quite the same way again.

~~~

Related Posts:

• Just My Luck – “The Luck Of The Ibis”
• REAL DEAD GHOSTS: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2014 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• 4 Cents Review: The Princes Of Darkness – They Just Need Love Too
• 4 Cents Review: Almost Exactly Like Us
• 4 Cents Review: Late Nights With The Boys – A Grown Up Fairy Tale (Frigid Festival 2010)

RUMSPRINGA! (OR - Jocelyn Kuritsky and Amy Landon telling "The Secrets of an Amish Ghost"; photo credit: Aaron Epstein)

Up front – full disclosure.  For the first few minutes of The Luck of the Ibis I was a little confused by what was going on and therefore not fully checked into the play yet.  I was waiting for something to click (something always does) and then the girl in the corner (Amy Landon) said Rumspringa. And boy oh boy, THAT made me perk up.  I am an absolute FOOL for anything to do with Rumspringa, and I love any plot that can incorporate it, even vaguely.  Even just in passing.  Which … (more full disclosure) was about as much as it was mentioned here. (Oh, Rumspringa, we hardly knew ye). But the point is, it got my attention, and from that moment I was invested.

I tell this to you for a reason.  Because The Luck of The Ibis (Written by Jonathan A. Goldberg and directed by Tom Ridgely)  is filled with a whole lotta crazy and the only way to enjoy it (and you WILL enjoy it … I promise) is to find something to latch on to quickly and then just go with the crazy till it runs out.

Nathaniel Kent, Jessica Pohly and Amy Landon in "The Coronation of the Shrimp Queen"; photo credit: Aaron Epstein

Maybe for you it won’t be the mention of Rumspringa, but rather it will be how the two sisters are named Metonymy (Jocelyn Kuritsky) and Parrhesia (Jessica Pohly)  … it sounds funny – say it out loud.  Or maybe your click will be the so-thick-you-can-(gladly)-eat-it-with-a-spoon accent Nathaniel Kent drizzles over every word uttered by his blustering Captain Kraken.  Or maybe it will be the way shrimp play such a huge role … not only growing to mythical proportions, but finding their way into bodies and exploding out in a rain of pink.  Ahh, am I getting ahead of myself?  Well … that might be your hook too – the way this play mixes more flashbacks and flash-forwards than the this past season of LOST — a plot device that is always leaving you guessing where the HELL you are in the story.  Don’t worry, though.  Even THAT is explained, and in a way that is satisfying (now let’s hope that LOST will be as neatly wrapped up …)

So, let me start over.  First of all, everyone in this play is FREAKIN crazy.  There is a plot here that is so winding and convoluted on the page that to try and even give you a sense of what you’re in for would be to spoil the whole experience.  Heck, I didn’t even mention President Reagan (Brendan Donaldson doing a spot on impersonation of a Reagan impersonator),  El Chupacabra (again, the delightful Nathaniel Kent, using a different spoon this time, but pouring on the Latin machismo as if his mythical life depended on it), or Clewrissa Baumberg (Amy Landon) who was a teen detective a la Nancy Drew and despite being an office manager now, yearns for the days she was solving crimes.  These days she’s hopped up on sleuth-enhancing drugs (“Sherlocks” and “solvents”).  I didn’t mention the convict or the errant dad (Donaldson again), or the Lighter-Than-Air Museum or the  … you get it.

Don’t get me wrong, like LOST (to keep a simile going) – which sounds crazy when all the building blocks are laid end to end – Ibis has its own paradigm, and therefore it can follow its own rules.  The big thing with plays that attempt to create their own mythology is that they just really need to be consistent within the boundaries they set up for themselves.  Luckily, Ibis is not only consistent but funny, entertaining, and surprisingly poignant.  An unexpectedly touching “underwater” ballet performed by Mr. Kent and Ms. Pohly was both moving as well as heartfelt, and the final scene put a lump in my throat.

Amy Landon, Jocelyn Kuritsky, and Nathaniel Kent in a "Confrontation with El Chupacabra"; photo credit: Aaron Epstein

Everyone in the cast pulls double and triple duty – and even the sisters Metonymy (Jocelyn Kuritsky) and Parrhesia (Jessica Pohly) who seemingly stay in the same character for the whole play manage to jump the timeline so often that they’re required to take on the mantle of other personae just as much as the others in this versatile company.  Every single member of this talented ensemble is captivating in a different way and will hold you in the palm of their hand as they spin their part of the tale, campaigning for their version of the truth.  Special mention to Ms. Landon who tells the “Fate of the Hero Ur-Shrimp” dressed as a giant shrimp with such dynamic realism that you feel like you were there.  Sorta.

Ultimately while the story here is fanciful, wacky, ephemeral and dreamy it is not needlessly scattered, pointless, unfulfilling or unfaithful to its ultimate goal of staying true to themes of hope, transformation, transitioning, and autonomy.  Hmmmm … maybe it really was all about Rumspringa all along.

Related Posts:

• The Land Whale Murders Is A Whale Of A Tale and The Tale Of A Whale
• REAL DEAD GHOSTS: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2014 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Wonder Twins Activate! – The Secret Language of “You May Be Splendid Now”
• Boy Gets Girl – Not Always A Happy Ending
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