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Waterfalls make for great metaphors. Playwrights, lyricists and authors use water imagery to represent death and rebirth, the flow of time, a spiritual cleansing, a sense of pressure, the idea of nature's force being stronger than human will...all of this lending itself to the perfect theatrical symbol: The Waterfall. So it makes sense that the story of one woman's quest to conquer Niagra Falls (and to deal with the aftermath) would be the perfect story upon which to base a musical.
The Transport Group's Queen of the Mist, now playing at the Gym at Judson through November 20th tells the story of Anna Edson Taylor, who, in 1901 at the age of 63, set out to be the first woman to shoot Niagara Falls in a barrel of her own design. Set in a narrow corridor of a playing space with the audience seated on either side of the action, the play washes through you with the force of rushing water, sweeping you through the turbulent moments of one woman's unsettled life and her fruitless pursuit of greatness.
Tony Nominee Mary Testa, in her first leading role ever (yes, you read that correctly) takes on this juggernaut of a part, conquering marathon monologues and almost constant stage time under the precision direction of Jack Cummings III. Much like the tempestuous, rushing rapids of the horseshoe falls, Testa's character barrels through life with power and vigor, never satiated and constantly running from death while at the same time staring it straight in the eye. "If this is my death, I refuse it!" she commands, all the while being washed like a pebble in a current towards an inevitable end.
Queen of the Mist, with a score by 5-time Tony nominee Michael John LaChiusa, is all at once a period piece, an inventive and edgy modern musical and a classic commentary on universal truths about life, death and the things we pursue. LaChiusa's score reflects this dichotomy by incorporating turn of the century themes with avant-garde, pop-theatre stylings. The cast of seven dress and speak in the period of the play while attacking innovative staging in a cutting-edge production.
GET TO THE POINT, MOM!
- Queen of the Mist, with words and music by Michael John LaChiusa, under the direction of Jack Cummings III, is presented by the Transport Group through November 20th.
- For more information or to purchase tickets, visit the show's website www.TransportGroup.org .
- Be sure to use the MamaDrama discount code TGMAMA when purchasing tickets.
- Join the conversation and maybe even win free tickets to the show! MamaDrama will be hosting a Queen of the Mist Twitter Party on November 8th at 9 PM. Follow the conversation via @MamaDramaNY using hashtag #QueenoftheMist.
- For more blog posts on Queen of the Mist, visit MamaDrama.
- Don't bring the kids to this one.
