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
Cherubina
|
I don't write. I don't think.
All I do is think about her..
—-Nikolai
|
Amanda Fulks in Cherubina
(Photo: Matthew Koschara)
|
review continues below
Cherubina is set in St. Petersburg four years before the Communist revolution. Elisa (Amanda Fulks), writes poems that are consistently scorned by the acerbic snob Nikolai (Teddy Bergman), the publisher of a literary paper. Insulted one too many times, she conspires with her college friend Max (Jimmy Owens) to create an alter-ego for herself. The idea is that this alter-ego will be so mysterious and captivating Nikolai will succumb to her charms and publish her poems.Thus, with the aid of scented stationery and an alluring photo of one of Elisa's former students, Cherubina is born.
Elisa and Max are successful beyond their wildest dreams. Not only Nikolai, but the entirety of St. Petersburg's literary set falls in love with Cherubina. Although no one knows much about her, she is spotted with a frequency that makes Elvis sightings look trivial.
Eventually Max, who harbors his own repressed feeling for Elisa, becomes jealous and alarmed. He tells Elisa it is time to reveal, or at least stop, the fraud. But she has her own needs to fulfill, and she cannot end the fantasy.
The trick to making this play work is to keep the bad guy (Nikolai) from being too awful, the good guy (Max) from appearing so much like a schlemiel that he loses all dignity, and the protagonist (Cherubina) from becoming so pitiful that she becomes contemptible. It is a trick Bergman, Fulks and Owens have easily mastered.
This is a bare-bones production in a tiny theater so far over on the west side it's almost in the river. But director Alexis Poledouris takes her work seriously. The play runs smoothly and seamlessly. All the elements— sound, set and lights — work as well as one might expect in a more polished theatrical venue.
The only caveat is that the set, which aims to depict Cherubina's home, the newspaper office and the surrounding city, does not clearly define any of these locations, so that there are times when one can't be sure where the action takes place. This would not be terribly important if the play used impressionistic or surreal techniques to tell its story, but Cherubina is relentlessly (and very effectively) realistic.
The ending is not completely satisfying, and if Cohen wants to take his play further east he would do well to decide what and who are the focus of his story. But Cherubina is so good in so many other ways it's best to not to reveal the ending and leave the question of the its suitability to the audience. It's the kind of unexpected treasure reviewers love — a plucky little show with a great cast and fine direction trying to make it in the big city. Good luck and God bless.
|
CHERUBINA By Paul Cohen Directed by Alexis Poledouris Cast: Teddy Bergman (Nikolai). Amanda Fulks (Elisa), Jimmy Owens (Max) Set and Lighting Designer: Gina Scherr Costume Designer: Zane Pihlstrom Sound Designer: Mark Valadez Running Time: 90 minutes, no intermission Presented by Performance Lab 115 Sanford Meisner Theater 164 11th Avenue between 22nd and 23rd streets (212) 352-3101 From 2/1/08; opening 2/4/08, closing 2/23/08 Thursday — Sunday at 8pm Tickets: $18 Reviewed by Paulanne Simmons Feb. 2, 2008 |
Try onlineseats.com for great seats to
Wicked
Jersey Boys
The Little Mermaid
Lion King
Shrek The Musical
The Playbill Broadway YearBook
Leonard Maltin's 2007 Movie Guide
Wicked
Jersey Boys
The Little Mermaid
Lion King
Shrek The Musical
The Playbill Broadway YearBook
Leonard Maltin's 2007 Movie Guide