BWW Reviews: SMALL WORLD: A FANTASIA at Penguin Repertory Theatre

The mighty little Penguin Rep Theatre in Stony Point opened its season this week with a bang, the New York premiere of Small World by Frederick Stroppel, directed by artistic director Joe Brancato.

In this immensely entertaining new work, the audience gets a fly-on-the-wall look at the relationship between the iconic cartoonist and entertainment mogul, Walt Disney, and arguably the 20th Century's greatest composer, Igor Stravinski. Both men were seminal figures in their respective fields, both men certainly geniuses, both men left their fingerprints on the cultural history of the 20th century. So why couldn't they just get along?

In "SMALL WORLD: A FANTASIA," Mr. Stroppel asks, answers and expounds on this question. In Mr. Stroppel's vision, Disney comes across a bit more huckster than artist, a man seemingly more firmly planted in the commercial aspects of the business. Stravinsky is equally clear in his intentions, only swinging the pendulum completely in the other direction. The story is loosely based on an actual meeting between the two visionaries. Sticklers for historical accuracy will have a field day with the artistic license that Mr. Stroppel has taken with the particulars of that meeting and its ramification, (specifically, that Stravinsky was unhappy with Disney's vision - in reality Stravinsky was happy enough with it that he immediately sold Disney the rights to two more of his compositions) but the work is not a documentary, it's a play, and a fun one at that.

Walt Disney is entranced by Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" and is determined to use it for his new full length cartoon feature: "Fantasia". However, despite having secured the rights to the music, he seeks out the composer's approval of his complete re-envisioning of the story. This is where the fun begins - of course, Stravinsky hates it.

The spirited banter between the great men is chock-full of clever witticisms and a healthy dose of references to both men's lives and works. It is by no means a philosophical dissertation on the nature of art, in fact, initially, their argument feels obvious and predictable; the age old battle of commercial success versus artistic merit. However, in the second act, the play begins to add more layers, as the world outside, the war, and the financial pressures weighing both men down add much more reality to the fantasy. Disney's brief allusion to "doing business with the Nazis" bring forward the play's first dark moment, as the two frustrated geniuses practically regress to name-calling.

As Disney laments his labor troubles and his feelings of betrayal when his animators go on strike, we see the Aesop of the 20th-century nearly crumble under the weight of responsibility. Mark Shanahan (as Disney) demonstrates that there is much more depth to the character than the super-slick Hollywood stereo-type ("I'm never wrong!") of Act One.

Stravinsky is also beset with financial problems. All of his wealth is tied up in occupied France and he must lower himself to composing for films. Unfortunately, a genius (he actually calls himself that!) he is totally unwilling to relinquish even the slightest bit of musical control, and sadly he can no longer find work in Hollywood. Stephen D'Ambrose (as Stravinsky) brings forth an interesting character, who finds himself in unfamiliar territory as he tries to straddle two worlds - his past artistic mega-stardom and his current failure to get any commercial traction in Hollywood.

Ultimately, the two men arrive at a kind of détente. They have not managed to tear down the barriers between highbrow and lowbrow art, nor have they managed to balance the commercial and artistic aspects of the business, but in the sweetly charming ending, they have managed to reconcile their own feelings towards one another.

Director Joe Brancato has wisely allowed the text to do the talking, providing a clean and uncluttered production that highlights the enormous personalities of the two characters. Patricia E. Doherty has done a fine job of costuming the men in spot-on period clothing and Patrick Rizzotti's simple set is both accurate and happily "cartoonish" in its use of primary colors.

The 2015 season at Penguin is off to a great start!

Performances: Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., matinees on Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

http://www.penguinrep.org/

- Peter Danish

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