SITE GUIDE
SEARCH
REVIEWS
REVIEW ARCHIVES
ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP
FEATURES
NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings
LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
A CurtainUp Review
The Canterbury Tales Remixed
|
“Sorry folks but this isn’t your show/ I decide how the story is told.”
|
Baba Brinkman
(Photo credit: Ben Hider) |
The premise of The Canterbury Tales Remixed is simple — storytelling is an age-old tradition; storytelling live (theater) is really just as old. Brinkman loves classic literature, loves storytelling, loves rapping. And so he presents his audience with rapped, modernized versions of five classic tales. For the interludes in between, he sometimes gives a brief intro for the approaching central characters, sometimes he gives explanations for his choices – for this show, even. Brinkman has spend years rapping about classic literature, in fact this convergence of two art forms started for him a decade ago back in college, while studying these classics in classrooms.
Brinkman is comfortable on stage. He hangs out up there, moving around casually, keeping the show rolling forward with the aid of the DJ and a projection screen of images to accompany the tales. The projections are rough-hewn stop-animation, with a combination of old images and new. Perhaps the image of King Arthur’s knight has been extrapolated from a Middle Ages painting; perhaps he is alongside an image of a 21st Century celebrity.
The remixed tales are concocted similarly to the video — the traditional core is still there, and the plot is basically the same. But references have become current (Jennifer Aniston, Bill Clinton. . .) and the language is (of course) clever rapping rhymes.
The show is fun, and it highlights the timelessness of a good story. But I was expecting an event that took the tales even further into current day with additional adaptation. And the departing message of Brinkman — though noble — seemed a copout, getting away with not tying together the various tales or messages within.
The evening was fun, yes, and Brinkman’s love for these tales in their original form is clear. These adaptations are not full of moments or images that will stick with me long term, but I will remember Brinkman and his eagerness to rap.
|
The Canterbury Tales Remixed Written and Performed by Baba Brinkman Music and Turntablism by Mr. Simmonds Directed by Darren Lee Cole Projection Designer: Erik Pearson Associate Projection Designer: Don Cieslik Lighting Design: Rome Brown Production Stage Manager: Nicole Press Production Manager: Jon Johnson Projection Assistants: Erik Brinkman and Asher Jay Soho Playhouse 15 Vandam Street www.sohoplayhouse.com 212 691 1555 From November 23 – January 28 -- a 3 week extension from originally announced closing date Wednesdays through Saturdays @ 730pm, Saturday and Sundays at 3pm 80 minutes, no intermission Reviewed by Amanda Cooper based on 12/2/11 performance |
|
REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email. . .also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. Visit Curtainup's Blog Annex For a feed to reviews and features as they are posted add http://curtainupnewlinks.blogspot.com to your reader Curtainup at Facebook . . . Curtainup at Twitter Subscribe to our FREE email updates: E-mail: esommer@curtainup.comesommer@curtainup.com put SUBSCRIBE CURTAINUP EMAIL UPDATE in the subject line and your full name and email address in the body of the message. If you can spare a minute, tell us how you came to CurtainUp and from what part of the country. |
Anything Goes Cast RecordingOur review of the show
Book of Mormon -CDOur review of the show
Slings & Arrows-the complete set
You don't have to be a Shakespeare aficionado to love all 21 episodes of this hilarious and moving Canadian TV series about a fictional Shakespeare Company
