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A CurtainUp Los Angeles Review
Beethoven As I Knew Him
Hershey Felder as Gerhard Breuning/Ludwig von Beethoven in Beethoven As I Knew Him
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As a child, Von Breuning knew Beethoven, a friend of his father's. The overall impression we get of the composer's life is its abysmal misery: the terrible beatings about the head from his father that may have caused his later deafness; his relationships with brothers who were cruel and distant; the absence of women in his life. Music was his joy, his glory and the mystery of how anyone wrote it, let alone a deaf man, is beyond a playwright's ability to solve. Nevertheless, more could have been told about the subject than the narrow scope offered by von Breuning. Felder doesn't really give him any character but uses him as a talking head to relate stories about Beethoven and in the Beethoven role letting out an occasional angry rant.
The selections Felder plays include "Moonlight Sonata" and "Fur Elise" which are familiar to every piano student, including this one. Andrew Wilder and Christopher Ash's projection design sets scenes effectively, beneath Richard Norwood's dim lighting which seems to operate under the principle that something several centuries old should literally be shrouded in the mists of time. Director Joel Zwick contributes pacing, staging and editing skills, leaving depth and characterization where he found them.
Felder's Q&A with the audience after the show offered many more interesting revelations than those in the production. Maybe if you're going to be didactic, it's better just to be it and leave drama to the imagination.
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Beethoven As I Knew Him Playwright: Hershey Felder Director: Joel Zwick Cast: Hershey Felder (Gerhard von Breuning/Ludwig van Beethoven) Scenic Design/Graphic Artist: Francois-Piere Couture Lighting Design: Richard Norwood Projection Design: Andrew Wilder & Christopher Ash Costume Design: Theatr' Hall, Paris Hair Design: Christine Chomicki, Any D'Avray, Paris Production Stage Manager: GiGi Garcia Sound Design: Erik Carstensen Running Time: 90 minutes, no intermission Running Dates: August 26-September 28, 2008 Where: The Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, Reservations: (310) 208-5454. Reviewed by Laura Hitchcock on August 28, 2008 . |
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