Review: Mosaic Theater Company's PAPER DOLLS Creates a Beautiful Piece Despite Some Creases

If you've ever thought what it would be like to cross an episode of Ru Paul's Drag Race with a searing Middle East drama and set the action to pop hits of the early aughts, Paper Dolls the perfect show for you. Mosaic Theater Company's newest entry to their Voices from a Changing Middle East cycle is a delightful piece of sheer entertainment. The show unfortunately tries to cover too many topics, however, and is thus unable to reach the dramatic heights some of its subject matter calls for.

Based on the award-winning 2006 Israeli documentary of the same name, Paper Dolls reveals the world of five gay male Filipino nurses in Tel Aviv who care for elderly Orthodox and Chasidic men six days a week. On the seventh day? They become the Paper Dolls and headline their very own drag show.

At one such performance, the group is spotted by a young gay documentarian, Etai (John Bambery, doing good work with a thinly written role), who believes these "oriental ladyboys" to be the most fascinating people he has seen. They are the perfect subjects for his new documentary. When the group agrees to work with Etai and some of his club connections, rifts develop and the Paper Dolls risk losing the bond that unites them.

Overall, the five person girl group works well together but, with a running time of just over two hours, there is not enough time to fully establish all of the girls. Zhan (Evan D'Angeles) is a riot as the Paper Dolls' most outspoken and over-the-top member who may lack talent, but is nevertheless the most entertaining of the group. Sally (Ariel Felix) is the de facto leader who serves as a mother to her other girls. Jiorgio (Jon Norman Schneider) struggles the most with her job as a caretaker, longing to instead find a more fulfilling purpose, ideally one that involves performing. The final two girls, Cheska (Rafael Sebastian) and Chiqui (Kevin Shen), mostly fade into the background and never seem to have a real moment to shine. It's a shame considering the actors are clearly able to handle more than their roles call for.

As Sally, Ariel Felix doesn't reach the necessary dramatic heights during group scenes. Felix is an incredibly talented monologist (her final monologue in particular is very moving) but there is very little tension developed due to her passive performance style. When interacting with her elderly patient, Chaim, she can come across as stiff, which prevents this connection--the main relationship of Paper Dolls--from developing fully. It isn't until Chaim's daughter Adina (Lise Bruneau, demonstrating why she is so steadily employed in D.C. theater) arrives that Felix finally begins to relax in her performance.

Conversely, the flamboyant Zhan is perfectly embodied by Evan D'Angeles (who also serves as Dance Captain). While on stage, D'Angeles demands attention. And she gets it even when delivering somewhat questionable material. There is discussion of gender, sexuality, and sex in which Zhan reveals she wishes to be a real woman rather than just a drag queen. This might be an interesting revelation if it were discussed again. As presented, however, it just seems like a throwaway piece of dialogue that comes out of left field. Thankfully, D'Angeles is not dragged down by this sudden outburst and continues masterfully even when the script falters.

The Paper Dolls are no Spice Girls or Pussycat Dolls. They are very much middle of the road and everyone around them acknowledges this as well. Middle of the road doesn't always read for a theater audience, however. J.M. Rebudal's choreography during large production numbers (like The Pointer Sisters' "I'm So Excited") feels clunky and awkward. Instead of the number coming across as the Paper Dolls being unpolished, it looks more like the actors themselves are unpolished. Such unclarity could be corrected if moves were either more sharp to emphasize the fierceness or more unpolished to emphasize the comedy. As is, an awkwardness lingers through many of the songs that prevents them from reaching their potential.

Phillip Himberg's script does some good work in discussing gender and sexuality, particularly among Israeli and Filipino populations. Beyond that, however, it tries to cram so many different issues into these two hours (immigration, Israel/Palestine, international job contractors to name a few) that much of these tertiary plots fall to the wayside. Were the show streamlines, more character development could have taken the place of these brief discussions of issues never talked of again.

Technically, Paper Dolls is a smashing success. Frank Labovitz's costumes take center stage for the Paper Dolls several numbers. While all of the looks are serviceable, none are more impressive than their signature paper dresses. With little more than newspaper and tape, it is amazing the end result appears as sturdy and completed as it does. James Krozner's set (a Tel Aviv residential complex facade) feels gritty and hyper-realistic. The smooth surfaces provide ample room for Sara Tundermann's projections which range from informational text of the Israel-Palestine conflict to live-feed of the Dolls while Etai films them.

There's something to be said about the energy the performers were able to inject into the Atlas Performing Arts Center's Lang Theatre. Tuesday night's audience was surprisingly tame. With a more lively audience, more of the show's comedy would land successfully. These are drag queens after all, it's more than okay to laugh, clap along, and dance during their performances.

Mosaic Theater Company is doing great work when it comes to sharing the voices of marginalized populations. Before they begin to take themselves too seriously, they should step back to examine how the humor of such powerful shows can further their main arguments as well. Their upcoming slate of performances features two musicals and two comedies and looks to be a step in the right direction for the fledgling company. Much like the paper dolls made by creative elementary school children, however, the full picture only remains beautiful when no tears exist on the individual pieces.

Paper Dolls plays through April 29 at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, Lang Theatre. For tickets call 202-399-7993 ext 2 or click here. For information about, and subscriptions for, Mosaic Theater Company's upcoming Fourth Season click here.

Editor's Note: While the Paper Dolls are male and are played by men, the characters express their gender identity as women. The characters and their performers have been referred to with female pronouns for this reason.

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Sam Abney is a Washington, D.C. based arts professional. A native of Arizona, he has happily made D.C. his new home. Sam is a graduate from George Mason University with a degree in Communication and currently works for Arena Stage as a member of their Development team. He is a life-long lover of theater and is excited about sharing his passion with as many people as possible.

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