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A CurtainUp Review
Coming, Aphrodite!


Why can't you paint something people can understand, and then, after you're successful, do whatever you like?— Eden
Coming Aphrodite
Greg Hentis & Liz Kimball
Something life-enhancing is afoot in Mary Fulham's Coming, Aphrodite! a musical adaptation of Willa Cather's novella at La Mama E.T.C. And it is worth catching if you like off-beat love stories.

The show offers us a love triangle with a decided new twist: a man, a woman— and a dog. Though this may at first seem like a joke, one need only watch the first ten minutes to discover a serious subtext. Beneath its surface romance, Coming Aphrodite explores the pursuit of art and the nature of success.

The story is set in New York City in 1983. As the action begins, we hear the sounds of morning rush hour and see pigeons swooping through the rooftops on the Lower East Side on a large video screen. The lights go up on Don Hedger (Greg Henits), a young artist working in his studio apartment on the top floor. He stands looking out in the direction of the audience, painting the fourth wall with a can of spray paint and a paintbrush. He sings about his art, how each clean canvas simultaneously evokes in him all kind of fresh possibility and fear. Before he can complete his song, however, he's interrupted by his dog Caesar (played with amazing physicality by Clayton Dean Smith).

Caesar wants Don to pay attention to the building super Miss Foley who's showing an aspiring actress Eden Bower the next-door apartment. Though Don assures Caesar that what he hears is just "somebody looking at the apartment," he's wrong. Eden is already in the process of moving in. What's more, Don soon hears a few bars of "I Have a Dream" from Gypsy, a sure cues that the new arrival is a budding actress.

Writer-director Mary Fulham's inventive adaption of Willa Cather's boy-meets-girl novella is told with original songs (music and lyrics by Mark Ettinger and Paul Foglino), snatches of old musical show tunes, with lithesome choreographed movements, as well as in plain dialogue. There are tickling touches of humor as Don falls in love with Eden. And, of course, watching the dog Caesar become jealous of Eden gives rise to some uproarious and at times touching fun.

No doubt the richer aspects of the piece involve the inevitable conflicts arising from career choices and personal relationships. Don is the epitome of a devoted and uncompromising artist in his 20s. Eden, also in her 20s, is all about show biz razzle-dazzle and, if necessary, following her acting dream to Hollywood. She doesn't really "get" Don's art or understand his attitude of standing back from the limelight, which gradually creates all kinds of friction in their relationship.

Some burlesque-like scenes are Eden's exercise routines enacted in the nude. Though Eden remains behind a lighted screen, we do see her shapely figure in a dark silhouette. Also on the risqué side is a scene at Coney Island, with Don filming a video of his friend Molly, an uninhibited performance artist. These frisky episodes add more than a modicum of nudity and sexual innuendos. Little wonder that the song" Cheap Thrills" becomes a kind of anthem for the evening.

Unless you take offense at burlesque, this is a terrific show, with good acting and refreshingly original songs. The story embraces love's ambiguities, and all kinds of thought-provoking debates on art and success. And of course it has a great dog act in Smith. Fulham's direction is spot-on and Jim Bouton's no-frills set makes a suitably deconstructionist statement.

Coming, Aphrodite! is hardly your conventional love story, but it vividly illustrates how unpredictable love, life, and art truly are. The ninety minutes surely give you something to smile about.

Coming, Aphrodite!
Written and directed by Mary Fulham
Cast: Anne Gaynor (Miss Foley/Molly), Greg Henits (Don Hedger), Liz Kimball (Eden Bower), Clayton Dean Smith (Caesar/Barker/Burton Ives).
Sets: Jim Boutin
Costumes: Ramona Ponce
Sound: Tim Schellenbaum
Lighting: Alex Bartenieff
Puppetry: Spica Wobbe
Choreography: Heidi Latsky
Music: Mark Ettinger
Lyrics: Paul Foglino Stage Manager: Sarah Rae Murphy
La Mama E.T.C at 74A East 4th Street. Tickets are $18, available at 212/475-7710
From 2/20/09; opening 2/26/09; closing 3/08/09.
Thursday through Saturday @ 7:30pm with Sunday matinees @2:30pm.
Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission.
Reviewed by Deirdre Donovan based on February 21st press performance.
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