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Circle
by Adrienne Onofri
Suzanne Bachner's Circle is based on Schnitzler's La Ronde, but it's mostly the plot device that's been retained from the 1896 source material, as this new version contains scenes set in Starbucks and cyberspace. The plot device consists of a series of two-person scenes, each featuring one character from the previous scene and one from the next scene in a sexual situation. Thus, we have two men who found each other in an Internet chatroom--one cheating on his wife, the other on his "husband"--meeting for a latte and a tryst. This is followed by the openly gay man from that duo trying to impregnate his lesbian best friend. Then we have that lesbian arguing, then making love with her ambivalent new bisexual girlfriend. . . who couples with a college boy at the frat party where she works as a stripper.. . . and so on.
If some of these scenarios seem familiar or contrived, you barely notice--and certainly don't mind--since you're won over almost immediately by the production's wit and fluidity. Cast and crew alike contribute to a sharp, engaging effort. This type of concept could be defeated by poor timing or sloppy execution, but both the performers and designers of Circle are at the top of their game.
Because it's so well done, Circle does seem original, since it's superior to the many sex-themed one-act compilations playing off-off-Broadway at any given time. This same production ran briefly at another space last March and was impressive enough to win an award for excellence in off-off-Broadway theater, earning it the current residency at the Kraine.
Every actor in Circle plays two or three roles, and there's not a weak link in this daisy chain of couplings. Felicia Scarangello is equally sympathetic in her uproarious scene as a lesbian sacrificing her "heterosexual virginity" for the sake of motherhood and her more solemn turn as a betrayed housewife trying to reinvigorate her marriage. Judy Charles, with her ravishing red curls, also maneuvers adroitly between being in command and put-upon, as her characters' sexual shenanigans mask emotional wounds. Bob Celli and Thaddeus Daniels, like their female costars, are versatile and appealing.
There's a fifth member of the cast: Danny Wiseman, billed as the "undresser," who assists the actors in changing their clothes-on stage-between scenes. His gestures and interactions with the "dressee" hint at what's to come with their next partner. During these interludes, the blocks and small tables are reconfigured for the next setting. It's an efficient and entertaining way to handle frequent scene changes.
Most of the pairings play out in the same way: 5 to 10 minutes of dialogue, followed by a blackout when the actual intercourse begins, then lights up for a quick coda. The format is similar from scene to scene, but each is memorable for a different reason--the frenetic energy of Scarangello and Daniels' baby-making, for example; the heartless Neil LaBute-ish twist to the frat party scene; Celli and Scarangello's earnest recitation of the virtual sex they're typing to each other on the Web; the perverse empathy between customers in an S&M club.
For this show about sex, Bachner has not abandoned emotion in favor of raunch. Everything is presented in black and white--all costumes are black, the set is all white--but the writing and performances are nuanced. And that's why Circle has both substance and style.
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CIRCLE
By Suzanne Bachner Directed by Trish Minskoff Cast: Felicia Scarangello, Judy Charles, Thaddeus Daniels, Bob Celli Set Design: Trish Minskoff Lighting: John Tees III Costumes: Deborah Alves Sound Designer/Technical Director: Alexander R. Warner Running Time: 75 minutes, no intermission The Kraine, 85 E. 4th St., 206-1515 Performances: Monday & Tuesday at 8PM, Friday & Saturday at 10:30PM-- $15 Opened February 15, 2002; closing March 26 Extended to 6/16/02 Reviewed by Adrienne Onofri, based on February 18, 2002 performance |
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