BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN ~ AN EXPERIMENT IN INTIMACY
Photos of Sharon Fogarty, Jason Grossman, Renée Torrière and Laura Walczak by Jef Betz 2001. CULTURE VULTURE, New York, September 25, 2001 - Review by Roy Sorrels Bride of Frankenstein ~ an experiment in intimacy. Manhattan Theatre Source, Estrogenius 2001 September 2001  Manhattan Theatre Source's Estrogenius 2001, created by Fiona Jones, is a festival of plays written and mostly directed by women. The current play in the series is Bride of Frankenstein, subtitled an experiment in intimacy!! It is an experiment that succeeds and fails in just about equal measure. A simple and stark setting that depicts Dr. Frankenstein's famous laboratory and other locales takes advantage of the exposed brick walls of this tiny, 50 seat theatre, with black industrial netting forming a bulging ceiling through which light seems to struggle to reach the stage. Six actors in simple costumes provide an a cappella background to Dr. Frankenstein's unwrapping of his creation, made up of assorted body parts. His creation, later named Mary, is played by Sharon Fogarty. Fogarty is the best thing about the play, for which she wrote book, music, and lyrics, created the choreography, and plays the starring role. For a while this anti-musical, as she calls it in program notes, focuses on the halting, touching efforts of the character to learn how to be a functioning woman--a woman, that is, as defined by the man who created her. In this it is powerful, haunting, darkly funny, a ritualized birthing, a mythic forcing of the raw life force of Mary into a mold she did not choose. It's a strong feminist theme and, undiluted, could provide a new way of looking at an old subject. Mary starts out with her face wrapped in gauze. She is tied to a treadmill, and she spends much of the first part of the play there, tied up part of the time, learning to walk part of the time. It is an apt visual metaphor for getting with the program, falling into step. Teachers arrive to show her how to properly walk, talk, hold a parasol, flatter men and make snide comments about other women, and throughout all of this the satire holds. It is later that the peripheral scenes distract more and more from the ritual satiric power of the play's opening scenes. A car ride to an art opening, the picking up of hitch hikers that add little to the meaning of the play, and an art opening with dancing statues all seem suspiciously like padding added to turn a too short one-act into an "evening" of theatre. Jokes and characters that must have seemed hilarious in rehearsal don't hold up on the same stage with the expectations created by the strong opening scenes.  Director Andrew Frank approaches this diverse material in an imaginative way, using the space, the actors, and the few props in often strikingly creative and effective ways. He is a director whose work bears seeking out. Sharon Fogarty is the star and the compelling strength of her acting and dance can hold an audience mesmerized. Another stand-out is Jason Howard as Iggy, one of the Doctor's less than successful creations. Laura Walczak plays multiple roles with a strong command of voice, movement, and acting. In off-off-Broadway theatres such as Manhattan Theatre Source a playgoer quite literally pays his or her money and takes his or her chances. Nothing is predictable, and that's part of the excitement; there are no Neil Simon/glitzy musical sure things. As week four of a very busy and courageously ambitious festival, Bride of Frankenstein is presumed to have had minimal rehearsal time on the stage, and minimal tech and dress rehearsals. What is opening night off-off would be, uptown, the first of numerous preview performances. Bride of Frankenstein has its flaws. The stitches show and it sometimes lurches when it should glide, but it has sufficient substance and style to note Sharon Fogarty as an artist to watch. |
|
BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN
~ An Experiment in Intimacy~ A love story in two acts by Sharon Fogarty Based on the novel by Mary Shelley and the film by James Whale © 1982 Contact information: Sharon Fogarty (917) 620-0658 © Sharon Fogarty Dance Theatre/MAKING LIGHT 2000 B R I D E O F F R A N K E N S T E I N ~ an experiment in intimacy by Sharon Fogarty Cast of Characters (in order of appearance) Victor Frankenstein (an esteemed doctor of science)  Mary (female creature Frankenstein creates) Miriam (Frankenstein’s Wife, a lady of society) Walton (Frankenstein’s colleague) *Dr. Smith (an acquaintance of Dr. Frankenstein) Vernice (etiquette teacher) Creature (the male creature Frankenstein creates, an innocent, slightly slower than Mary) Vernice (etiquette teacher) ‡Waitress †Female Jazz Singer Iggy Hitchhiker #1 (Peter Lorie impersonator) Hitchhiker #2 (Nun/Priest) Hitchhiker #3 (Prostitute) Vaslav (ballet teacher) Florence (opera singer) Aunt Abigail (an elderly art collector) * can also play Iggy, Hitchhiker #2, Vaslav and Aunt Abigail. † can also play Florence (an opera singer), Hitchhiker #1 (nun) and Acting Teacher. ‡ can also play Hitchhiker #3 (a prostitute), Art Teacher and Poetry Teacher. Note: Cast members enter from and exit to a chorus that stands behind a scrim up left. Time: Mid 1930’s. Act I, Scene 1. (Note: this scene contains 7 lights up/out sequences). Scene 1-a. LIGHTS UP, on Dr. Frankenstein’s study, a desolate basement. A desk/table with an old swivel chair is down right . Up left, Mary is seated on a straight back chair that rests atop a treadmill. Her face and body are covered with bandages. There are two support bars on either side of the treadmill to which her wrists are loosely tied. She remains virtually motionless for most of the scene. We hear an electric storm outside and see reflections of lightning. The chorus sings: Softly my souls become one Sadly my life has begun Slowly my pain is known, Kyrie -leison Kyrie- leison, Kyrie -leison, Kyrie -leison, So senimous, so senimous, Christes. Lights fade on chorus. Scene 1-b. Dr. Frankenstein enters carrying a brown paper bag. He sits at his desk/table without looking at Mary. He takes a cruller and a coffee out of the bag, sits and has breakfast as he stares out at the audience. He eats self-consciously. Mary sniffs the air very slightly in his direction. Lights fade. Scene 1-c. Lights up on Dr. Frankenstein who sits and reads. He is momentarily distracted by Mary who appears to be looking at him through her bandages. He tries to continue reading in spite of this. He takes out a notebook and starts writing. Lights fade. Scene 1-d. Frankenstein is asleep with his head on the desk. Mary simply stares out. Lights up on chorus behind scrim. They sing a distorted Agnus Dei: Agnus Dei, day, Day by Day, all the live long day, oh, say can you see me, feel me, myself and I had a dream of dream of deo. Agnus Dei qui tolis, pecata, pecata mundi, lundi, martes, miercoles, agnus days. Lights fade on chorus as song ends. As if from a nightmare, Frankenstein jolts awake. He looks over at Mary who remains motionless, staring out. Frankenstein grabs his cape from the back of his chair and exits. Lights fade. Scene 1-f. Frankenstein enters with Miriam. They speak gibberish. Mary senses them, listening through her bandages. They ignore her as they pace and improvise a gibberish argument. We do hear the words ‘mother’ and ‘food’, however. Miriam wins the argument and exits. Frankenstein moves to Mary and pulls one of her legs from bent to straight. She moans in pain. He returns it to bent and goes to his desk to write. Lights fade (Frankenstein exits). Scene 1-g As above, Mary sits alone in the study. IGGY enters. He speaks to Mary. IGGY: Hello, love. You’re looking as scary as ever. I thought you might need a visitor. Are you hungry? Do you want a licorice? He waves a piece of licorice in front of her face. She becomes excited smelling it. IGGY: There, now, there. Let’s have a bite. He chews it for her and then places his mouth to hers. IGGY: Alright then, just like a baby bird. You’ll be thinking I’m your mum after a while. (pulls up a chair) What shall we do today. Another story? Very well. Let’s see. Oh yes. There once lived a miserable bastard named Dr. Frankenstein who created a strange and beautiful princess named… Let’s see, what shall we name her? How about Consuella? Mary grunts. IGGY: Alright, then. What about Bernice? Mary grunts. IGGY: Um… Agnes? Mary grunts. IGGY: Ophelia? Lights fade as Iggy tries to think of more names. Agatha? (laughs) Cecilia?… (Iggy exits) Scene 1-h. Frankenstein stands alongside the treadmill looking at Mary who is now standing, facing out. Her bandages and most of her braces have been removed. Her wrists are no longer tied to the support bars. She wears a diaper and a man’s tank undershirt. Frankenstein takes one of Mary’s legs and moves it forward on the treadmill. She whimpers as she watches his activity. Frankenstein goes to the other side of the treadmill and moves the other leg forward causing the belt to move on the treadmill. Mary makes a kind of gleeful yowl. Frankenstein goes back to the first leg and moves it. Mary moves her second leg herself and takes a few steps. She gets excited and steps faster, but then slows her awkward gate and rides the treadmill to the end of the belt, and falls over backwards. She’s screaming. Frankenstein helps her to her feet and gets her started again by walking behind her on the treadmill. Frankenstein steps away and watches her for a moment as she stiffly, gawkily and with great concentration takes her first steps. She stabilizes to a slow and clunky rhythm. Frankenstein grabs his cape and exits. LIGHTS FADE on Mary still walking. Scene 1-i. LIGHTS UP On Mary who, now exhausted, is crawling on the moving treadmill. LIGHTS FADE as she continues to crawl. for complete script, please contact sharon@sharonfogarty.com. thank you. |
|
 Please make a tax deductible donation using the link below (Dance Theater Workshop, Inc. is our fiscal conduit). |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
