Arizona Theatre Company's The Flying Karamazov Brothers L'Universe at The Orpheum Theatre
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 5/23/00
(out of )No, technically, it's not really theatre, but it can be awfully entertaining. Paul Magid, Howard Jay Patterson, Mark Ettinger, and Roderick Kimball, better known as The Flying Karamazov Brothers, are performing a special engagement for Arizona Theatre Company. L'Universe is an acrobatic exploration of the world from Big Bang to current day, with the four talented performers impersonating intellectual heavy hitters of history, from Aristotle to Einstein, all in an attempt to discover the proof of the Unified Field Theory. The production, as directed by Gordon Edelstein, is 90 minutes of some intellectual humor, many cool gadgets, and not as much acrobatics as you'd expect. Of course, when they do break out the pins or fire up the gadgets, the show is wonderful. It's just that there's more talking than this family show necessarily needs.
With the help of the MIT Media Lab's "Things That Think Consortium," the four offer such varied bits as a juggling band, sonar-based music and juggling, and manipulation of video images that can only be described as awesome. When they're dropping pins or making music, the show is mesmerizing. Unfortunately for the younger ones in the audience, there are some slow moments that fail to hold their, or their parents attention. It's not that they need to add more bits. The work that they've put into this show is obviously substantial, and asking for more is like asking for God to repeat a sunset moments after it's over. There are just some bits that aren't up to the others, and some of the commentary seems forced and unnecessary.
That doesn't stop the fact that there are spellbinding moments that must be seen. All of the designers deserve a standing ovation for their creation. The spare futuristic set by Christopher Barreca works well, and Peter Maradudin's lighting is effective, as are Susan Hilferty's costumes. Most impressive, though, is the creation of video designers Gian-Carlo Scandiuzzi and Stanley Larsen, and the sound design of Dominic Kramers.
This is a show that has the potential to mesmerize young and old alike, and often does, despite the lulls that keep it from being consistently great.
Production Details:
The Flying Karamazov Brothers L'Universe Conceived and Written by Paul Magid and Howard
Jay Patterson
Arizona Theatre Company
The Orpheum Theatre, City
(602) 256-6995
May 23rd - 28th, 2000