Sometimes a show is too good at accurately relating its subject matter. Such is the case with Arizona Theatre Company's production of Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright. Eric Simonson's work as Director is impressive, sweeping the audience through 70 years and the tumultuous events of world renowned architect Wright's life. He creates wonderful images and utilizes his ensemble to maximum effect. He successfully brings to life awkward narration. His choice to have the ensemble spin images of Wright's partitions around the actors in the first act helps keep the action moving continuously. Playing Wright from imperious youth to grouchy elder, Lee E. Ernst is remarkable. He accurately captures powerful aspects of Wright, from his hardheaded determination through his moments of divinely inspired insight to his brief flashes of charm. Kent Doresey's set, Phil Monat's lights, Kärin Kopishke's costumes, and Barry G. Funderburg's sound design are all impeccable. For production values, this is among the best ATC has mounted this season. Despite every glowing thing about this magnificent production, there's one fault that undermines it all: the character of Wright is a royal prick, and no matter how amazing his vision and potent his convictions, there's little inspiring about the man and his personality.
In a way that's similar to Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George and Shaffer's Amadeus, Mr. Simonson and his collaborator, Jeffrey Hatcher explore divine inspiration as channeled through a socially inept person. At the moments when Wright is recreating the world, explaining his visions and making art of home architecture and design, the speeches are inspirational. Throughout the rest, as he's dumping his wives, pumping his students for money, and arguing with everyone, no matter how rightly, that his way is the only way to the future, I never cozy up to the character. Wright was never known for his winning-personality, but for his revolutionary vision. If Work Song means to humanize the rascal, it's unsuccessful. When it tries to show that a man's work should not be judged based on the man himself, then it's closer to its target. However unintentionally, when it shows the balance of Wright's brilliance with his irascibleness, the show is successful.
One of the results of exposing the growling with the Godly is that the production has a very filmic quality. One almost wonders if this would be a better three-part series on A&E than a stage play. The narration, which sometimes justifies, sometimes just shrugs at the personal behind the professional, seems ready-made for a voiceover. As a bio-pic or a mini-series, less empathy is necessary. After seeing Work Song, my respect for Wright the architect has been raised, but my care about Wright the person, who had so many bad things happen to him and was unrightfully ignored by his contemporaries, has lowered. Even with the last act, where for one brief moment near the end, the personal successfully supports the professional, I couldn't find an emotional connection. I don't like that, because even while I believe that it's nearly impossible to separate the artist from the art, I'd rather be inspired than put off.
Still, I can't say enough about the excellent performances lead by Mr. Ernst, but also supported by a wonderful cast. Kate Goehring is appealing both as Wright's true love, Mamah Cheney, and drama queen Ayn Rand. Though Freud would wish for a bit more subtlety in the connotation, Wendy Robie is remarkable first as Wright's mother, then as his third wife. Leon Addison Brown is haunting in the role of Wright's manservant, Julian. The scenes that end the first act are emotionally draining because of his intensity. Benjamin Stewart is very funny in his appearance as foppish critic and commentator Alexander Woollcott.
The professionalism of this production is beyond reproach. All of the elements are impressively rendered, and the three-act, three-hour evening is a theatrical success. If only I could believe after seeing this show that Wright the man deserved as much empathetic consideration as Wright the genius, I'd consider this evening an unqualified success.
Production Details:
Work
Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright
by Eric Simonson and Jeffrey Hatcher
Arizona Theatre Company
The Herberger
Theatre Center, Phoenix
(For a map to location,
click this
link)
(602) 256-6995
May 11th - 26th, 2002