Pericles’ daughter has been kidnapped by pirates and sold into a brothel, where she convinces the customers to honor her virginity. This may not normally be one of Shakespeare’s most memorable scenes, but it becomes an exhilarating gospel number, “Find Your Light,” that brings both the hundred performers and thousand spectators to their feet, their hands waving or fans flickering ecstatically in the air, in a rousing demonstration of the redemptive power of the music of the Black Church. It is one of the several breathtaking moments that justify this gospel musical adaptation of “Pericles” as this year’s free Public Theater Public Works production over Labor Day weekend.
As with all the Public Works shows, the cast is a mix of eager but generally inexperienced community members and starry professionals, this year including Ato Blankson-Wood as Pericles, Denée Benton as his wife Thaisa (very different from her character on The Gilded Age), Alex Newell as the goddess Diana, and Crystal Lucas-Perry as Gower in a performance that counts as some kind of divine revelation all its own. But unlike all the previous Public Works shows, which were presented at the Delacorte in Central Park, “Pericles” is being presented at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York is an unquestionably awe-inspiring landmark, maybe even an especially apt location given the spiritual infusion in this “Pericles,” but it is a problematic venue for any Shakespearean play (even a musicalized one), which may be why they’re calling the production a “concert experience.”
The original language of the play (albeit abbreviated) remains, as does the plot, a convoluted tale recounting the many voyages, traumas and triumphs, rough times and romance of Prince Pericles and his kin. (There is a succinct and clarifying synopsis reprinted in the program.) The script is supplemented by music and lyrics written by Troy Anthony. Given how hairy some of the episodes are, I suppose it was inevitable that some of Anthony’s lyrics would be unintentionally hilarious. Early on, Pericles sings:
I went to Antioch and I gave my best
All that was waiting there was incest.
But most of the twenty or so musical numbers feel like enhancements. A largely utilitarian scene in the original, between a shipwrecked Pericles and kindly fishermen who tell him about the nearby contest to win the hands of the local princess Thaisa, becomes also an excuse for a rocking “Fishers’ Blues.” Cleon’s talk of hunger in Tarsus, is driven home by protestors in the song “Sick and Tired.” There are some gorgeous ballads, a love duet or two, and, above all, those gospel numbers.
The clearest advantage to Anthony’s score is the elevation of the role of Gower. In previous productions, he is simply the narrator of the tale, summarizing, providing context, helping to finesse the leap in years, in order to allow the plot to span an entire generation. But here Gower is the life force of the story. The songs Anthony writes that include Gower are a gift to Crystal Lucas-Perry, and she makes the most of them. The actress made a spectacular Broadway debut as John Adams, the impatient prime agitator for independence in “1776,” then followed that up with a tour-de-force portrayal of five different characters in Jordan E. Cooper’s “Ain’t No Mo,” including an absurdly caterwauling church lady at a funeral. She is a church lady once again. She’s not just telling the tale; she’s leading the chorus, encouraging the characters to make the right choice, unifying the disparate scenes, energizing the action.
At the risk of sounding like some kind of weird diva partisan, I’ll admit to ambivalent feelings about the staging of the one song featuring Alex Newell as Diana, which we were obviously meant to understand as the 11 o’clock showstopper. Newell was terrific, as usual. But my immediate thought: Lucas-Perry had been performing such numbers all night long.
That staging was one of the moments that took great advantage of the majesty of the cathedral, whose nave is 124 feet high and 601 feet long – mammoth, one of the largest in the world. But it is also relatively narrow (48 feet), which means that to accommodate anywhere near the number of theatergoers who attend the Delacorte (which, after the renovation, is reportedly 1,866), the seating had to go the full length of the nave. Director Carl Cofield takes advantage of the length a few times, mostly for royal processions down the aisle, but also for a lively marching band and majorettes (which seems appropriate since they’re traveling the length of two football fields.) Most of the action, however, is staged in front of the altar, which is simply too far away for most audience members to see. This is why there were screens placed at regular intervals all the way to the rear.
I had the privilege of sitting relatively close up – close enough so that no screen was needed – close enough to be floored by the entrance by Denée Benton as Thaisa in an almost shocking seductive pose wearing a sexy yellow dress
I suppose you didn’t need to be close up
I can’t speak to the acoustics in the rear, but it helped to be able to focus visually where you wanted to, not where the camera was pointing — one of the advantages, usually, of live theater.
To be fair, everybody, as I said, was thrilled by the scene of Pericles daughter Marina (Amina Faye) convincing Lysimachus (Wil Lowe) to see the light.
The Public Works project is always a party; it’s always exciting and moving to see so many regular New Yorkers participate. I’m sure I was not the only one (no matter where they were seated) to have been delighted by this production — and to be looking forward the one next Labor Day weekend, back at the Delacorte.
Pericles: A Public Works Concert Experience
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine through September 2
Running time: Two hours, no intermission
Tickets: Free
By William Shakespeare
Music and Lyrics by Troy Anthony
Choreography by Tiffany Rea-Fisher
Directed by Carl Cofield
Production design by Riw Rakkulchon, lighting design by Melissa Mizell, co-sound design by Justin Stasiwand Walter Trarbach,dramaturgy by Jesse Cameron Alick, music supervision by Troy Anthony, music coordination by Kristy Norter, and music direction by Sam Appiah.Michael Domueis the production stage manager, and Aisling Galvinand Adalhia Hartarethe
100 Public Works Community Members From Partner Organizations Across All Five Boroughs Alongside Denée Benton as Thaisa,Ato Blankson-Wood as Pericles, Lori Brown-Niang as Bawd, Kenneth Collins as King Simonides, ,Amina Faye as Marina,Joel Frost as Cleon, Debra Harewood as Helicanus, Eric Herrera as Leonine, Fatemalata Krubally as Lychorida, Uwimama Liverpool as Bolt, Crystal Lucas-Perry as Gower, Erika Myers as DIonyza, Wils Lowe as Lysimachus Alex Newellas Diana and Stephen Scott Wormley
The Public Works community partner organizations are Brownsville Recreation Center (Brooklyn), Casita Maria Center for Arts and Education (Bronx), Center for Family Life in Sunset Park (Brooklyn), Children’s Aid (all boroughs), DreamYard (Bronx), Domestic Workers United (all boroughs), The Fortune Society (Queens), and Military Resilience Foundation (all boroughs)
Photos by Marc Franklin
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