BEOWULF, the epic poem written prior to the 10th century, has a musical genesis. It was originally performed by a scop, or minstrel, who traveled from one community to another entertaining the people who were gathered in mead halls or castles. The scops told stories of romance, valor and patriotism and the traditional translations of BEOWULF indicate that there were gaps or caesuras in each line, where the scop strummed his string instrument; providing a musical accompaniment to his tale. With such a musical beginning, one can only ponder why the tale of Beowulf and his extraordinary heroics had never been adapted to the musical stage.
It may have taken eleven centuries, but BEOWULF has been adapted as a sung-through musical by Lenny Pickett and Lindsey Turner and is the current attraction at the Irish Repertory Theater. One only wishes that the end result was something to sing about.
Performed by a cast of seven extremely able men and accompanied by a harp and harmonium, the tale becomes a Cliff's Notes adaptation of the epic poem. In an effort to condense the story to an evening's length entertainment, the creators give audiences the effect of skimming the pages of the work without taking time to savor its richness. It's like having a steak minus the mushrooms and the gravy. All the characters are there, and so is the basic plot. However a key element is missing: emotional involvement, and this is something the original poem does, indeed, provide. When the heinous monster Grendel appears (looking like a life-sized action figure with traffic lights for eyes), he sets about destroying Hrothgar's men. What is lacking is a motive for the mayhem. The source material provides readers with the anger Grendel experiences for the carousing which takes place in the mead hall above him. He curses the noise and sets off to wreak havoc. This important element is eliminated here. The Grendel on stage murders for the sake of murdering.
Conversely, the creators provide Grendel's Dame with the opportunity to lament her son's death as she seeks revenge. Bill Gross, who is a virile presence throughout the performance, enacts the Dame effectively and sings the character's lament with great passion. It becomes the only emotional moment in the proceedings. It also draws the audience into the story for the few minutes that Mr. Gross is singing. The rest of the performance consists of one battle after another that become monotonous in their sameness. Movement Coach Eileen Connolly has created some effective marching and dancing, but after viewing these in succession, a certain sense of sameness sets in.
The masks and puppets created by Bob Flanagan are uneven in their effectiveness. The shadow art which is used to suggest Beowulf's voyages and the puppets used to enact his prowess as a swimmer are very creative. However, the aforementioned costume for Grendel prompts a few audience members to chuckle when his arm is ripped off by the hero. Still, the entrance of the sea monster in the show's latter moments is stunning but creates more unintentional laughter when its carcass is dragged from the stage. And does every creature have to have illuminated eyes? Even the little ones?
Another major problem this stage adaptation has is the casting of its title character. Richard Barth has a splendid voice that might best be classified as a "rock tenor". He is also an actor of some skill. Still, his short stature works against him throughout the production. Beowulf might best be described as the first super-hero of the English language, calling for an actor with an imposing physique and impressive height. Barth's performance struggles against this disadvantage and never truly succeeds. Yet he indicates that he would be absolutely splendid in a role he was more suited for. It doesn't help that the lyricists have the character repeat the phrase "I will kill him" throughout the evening. Couldn't they have come up with alternatives? As it stands, this repeated phrase makes Beowulf more of a serial killer than a dramatic hero. The lyricists might do well to consult a thesaurus from time-to-time.
All of the cast members double and triple as puppeteers, chorus, prop masters and stage crew. Each is given a chance to shine. David Garry is impressive as Hrothgar, Edwin Chaill is a fine Wiglaf and John Halback is a solid Hrethric.
Shaun R. Parry does a wonderful job as Unferth and under that ludicrous costume, Jay Lusteck struggles to bring conviction to the role of Grendel.
Charlotte Moore has directed BEOWULF. She has done an exemplary job directing traffic but hasn't found the dramatic moments that this show cries out for. There are lots of fine lighting and sound effects onstage, and the show contains plenty of marching and fighting but the audience remains detached. Perhaps that is why someone let out with mock sobs from the rear of the theater when Beowulf was placed on the funeral pyre.
There is some interesting music in BEOWULF. In the style of opera, none of the songs are listed in the program. Pickett has created some impressive choral work for the cast and the use of harp and harmonium gives a definite sense of period to the proceedings. Mark Janus does double duty behind the harmonium as he conducts the performance and harpist Erin Hill becomes an impressive vocalist while she accompanies herself singing Beowulf's funeral dirge at the end of the show.
One hopes that this production of BEOWULF is a work-in-progress. Perhaps the creators will consider expanding the role of the harpist in future productions. She could easily serve as a modern day scop if she narrated the show from her harp and provide a narrative line that might actually give emotional heft that is lacking in the current version. To borrow a line from Shakespeare's MACBETH, this version of BEOWULF is "all sound and fury, signifying nothing".
BEOWULF is playing at the Irish Repertory Theater located at 132 West 22nd Street in New York City. Tickets may be purchased by calling the box office at (212) 727-2737. The show runs through November 13th.
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