BWW Reviews: Dali Does Disney in Flying V's Inventive, Surreal LOBSTER ALICE

Because it has become such a commercial behemoth it's easy to forget that once upon a time, Disney was serious about art. In the years immediately following World War II, when he wasn't producing the now-classic Fantasia, Walt Disney was hiring cutting-edge artists to produce animation that blew the mind and introduced popular audiences to the avant-garde. That's why a chance encounter at a Hollywood party resulted in good old 'Uncle Walt' commissioning an animated short from Salvador Dali, the famous Surrealist painter.

Disney and Dali --- just let those two names, side by side, sink in for a moment. Mickey Mouse and melting clocks; got it?

Now consider Lobster Alice, Kira Obolensky's comic take on this most curious of collaborations, revived in daring form by Flying V Theatre at Bethesda's Writer's Center. Based in Minneapolis, Obolensky is a writer whose work spans a wide range of genres - dance, puppetry, fiction, etc. - and her interest in art's outer limits has produced a mostly satisfying script here. Director Amber Jackson has assembled a brilliant cast, creating an anarchic and, yes, surreal atmosphere in which anything and everything can happen.

Set somewhere in the Hollywood dream factory (Surrealism is all about dreams after all), Lobster Alice takes Disney's unconventional partnership with Dali and weaves a more conventional tale of unrequited love, thwarted ambitions, and artistic leaps of faith. The concept is simple enough: each scene represents a weekly storyboard meeting in which Dali is supposed to develop a scenario that is then produced, frame by frame, by Disney's point man John Finch (based loosely on Dali's real-life amanuensis, John Hatch). Present at each meeting is Alice Horowitz, Finch's secretary and a woman whose intelligence and curiosity prove to be an inspiration to both artists.

The conflicts that erupt are, to some extent, predictable. Finch is the buttoned-down company man, trapped by his sense of propriety and unable to make up his mind whether to woo Alice or not. To make matters worse his boss (that would be Walt Himself) is pressuring him to come up with better concepts for his latest project, "Alice in Wonderland." Dali, meanwhile, is a force of nature who sweeps Alice off her feet. To Finch's dismay, she gladly serves as Dali's inspiration for the scenario he is about to devise (clothing and chastity optional). There's jealousy, of course, but there's also the unspoken need for all three to challenge each other and reach beyond themselves.

Daniel Corey gives a compelling performance as Finch, whose frustrations and anxieties we can relate to almost instantly; although placed in the role of Dali's servant, he demands and ultimately gains the respect of the artist (but not before heaving the egotistical Catalan out the window). As Alice, Jenny Donovan generates considerable heat-but with the discretion that comes with needing a steady job. Alice's longings, like Finch's, are hard to express, but Donovan shows us a woman more than ready to step out on her own and experience life to its fullest. Meanwhile Ryan Alan Jones takes on the yeoman's task of the supporting cast, playing a small army of characters human and non-human.

The highlight of the show, naturally, is role of Dali-and in Flying V regular Zachary Fernebok it's safe to say that Dali has met his match. Anarchic, erotic and more than half-mad, Fernebok plays him like two parts artiste and-thanks to his outrageous accent-one part Manuel from Fawlty Towers. For all the zaniness, however, Fernebok makes sure that we see the method to Dali's madness, and the passion he brings to Dali's artistic vision-when it finally emerges-is wonderful to see.

You know you're in for an unusual evening when the seemingly drab set, designed by Jos. B. Musumeci Jr., reveals its cracks, crevices and trap doors. This isn't just a typical 1940's business office, it's a place where people emerge nonchalantly from corkboards, and where a massive couch generates and swallows a veritable cast of characters. Kristin Thompson has managed the lighting in the small Writer's Center theatre nicely, cueing us to changes in mood and perspective-a necessity, because the play is constantly shifting from realism to surrealism and back. Deb Sivigny has draped the cast in some fine duds (giving Fernebok some fun schtick in the bargain) and Neil McFadden sets the scene with period-appropriate music. A special shout-out is in order to Deb Crerie and Kay Rzasa, whose props litter the stage and enhance the utter strangeness of Disney and Dali's world. (You'll never think of lobsters the same-'nuff said.)

Even the lobby is a part of the show here - Tia Shearer Bassett has arranged for artists to produce new works every night throughout the run of Lobster Alice, offering audiences a rare opportunity to interact with painters and learn more about the craft. And in a truly special treat, you can watch the short film Dali designed, as you leave. Produced nearly 60 years after Disney originally commissioned it, "Destino" won many awards when it was finally assembled and released in 2003. It's a fitting end to an evening devoted to art, and to the joys that come from the act of creation.

Production photo: Jenny Donovan as Alice with Zachary Fernebok as Salvador Dali. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography.

Running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes with one intermission.

Lobster Alice runs September 25-October 12, 2014; Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm. Performances take place at The Writer's Center, 4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD.

Tickets can be purchased through Brown Paper Tickets online at http://flyingv.brownpapertickets.com, or at the door starting one hour before the performance.

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