Review: 'The Dead Eye Boy'
Gritty drama examines social tragedy at 1515 Broadway
"What will happen to the dead eye boy? I don't know, but he won't be around for long." So writes the troubled title character, Soren, in Angus MacLachlan's prize winning play. "The Dead Eye Boy" is running at 1515 Broadway, the latest entry in Breathe Art Theatre Project's Open Border Initiative.
One would have to look far for a more pathetic anti-hero then Soren (Joe Porter). Conceived in the anonymous rape of a 14-year old, crack-addicted mother, he was maimed in the eye during a botched delivery. Now 14 years old himself, he feels guilty that his life daily reminds his mother of her assault. Is Soren a ticking time bomb? You'd better believe it. Is he hard to handle? That would be putting it mildly.
So when his mother, Shirley-Diane (Tamam Tayeh), brings home a boyfriend she meets in re-hab, we can at least hope for better times ahead. Can Billy (Joel Mitchell) provide both the father figure Soren never had and the emotional support that Shirley-Diane so desperately needs? Here's a hint – if you're into happy endings, this isn't your show.
It's a problematic script from the get-go. Daniel Roth's direction keeps this show on even keel, but MacLachlan seems to be sabotaging his own work. One catches a hint of high-brow distain, a "thank god they're not OUR kind of people!" attitude. These lower-than-trailer-trash folk from North Carolina are impossible to empathize with; only Mr. Mitchell as Billy has scenes where the heart of a decent man shows through. It is indicative of the play's structural flaws that Billy shines brightest in a scene in which he rehearses for his new career as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. It's a nice job of writing; it's a great job of acting, but has little to do with the plot.
Tayeh gets the unenviable task of fleshing out the two-dimensional character of Shirley-Diane. Granted, Mom's an emotional mess – a child trying to raise a child – but MacLachlan gives her little more than rage and guilt to play with. The only spark of complexity comes in the transference of her almost sexual playfulness with Soren to outright sexual play with Billy. Nor can we spare much sympathy for Soren, regardless of Porter's in-your-face portrayal – this kid is so possessed, you'll think you're watching "The Omen -IV."
The audience member is likely to take out of the theater what he brought in, whether it's an understanding of the pitfalls of childrearing, the loneliness of single parenting or the legacy of hopelessness in the lower classes. But for change, new insights, hope reborn – look elsewhere.
"The Dead Eye Boy" runs Thu.-Sun. by Breathe Art Theatre Project at 1515 Broadway, Detroit, through Nov. 12. Tickets: $18. For tickets: 313-965-1515.
The Bottom Line: A valiant attempt at edgy contemporary drama – but are local audiences ready to accept such a relentlessly depressing play?
Preview: 'La Boheme'
Attention 'Rent' fans: MOT stages opera that inspired award-winning musical
If you're a big fan of the musical "Rent," you're probably giddy with excitement over the upcoming big screen adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning production. Those who can't wait for their "Rent" fix, however, have a special treat waiting for them at the Detroit Opera House beginning Nov. 5: The Michigan Opera Theatre's production of "La Boheme."
"'La Boheme' inspired 'Rent,'" MOT General Director David DiChiera told Curtain Calls last week. "It would really be interesting for people who know 'Rent' and would probably go to the movie – I think they might find a very fascinating point of reference to this opera."
Although the musical styles of the two productions are considerably different, the premises aren't. "The story is about struggling young people – in one case, the Latin Quarter of Paris in the 19th century, while the other is in New York a century later. It's pretty much the same situation. It's about young love, and when somebody young in love dies, it's just so moving," DiChiera said.
Like the musicians and artists who populate "Rent," Giacomo Puccini's opera is filled with characters who, like their counterparts, are also struggling to pay the rent: a painter, a writer, a philosopher, a musician and "a loose girl with a heart." Or, as the opera's title clearly states, the Bohemians of 1830s Paris. "I suppose if one was to transfer the idea of the Bohemian, what would they be called today? The Greenwich Villagers? We don't have a counterpart in our late 20th century culture," DiChiera pondered.
Like every musical or opera, it's the music that tugs at your heart, DiChiera said. That's especially true with "La Boheme": The 1896 libretto has been called one of the greatest love stories ever sung – and one of opera's most endearing tragedies. "It's probably the most accessible and one of the most popular operas ever written. It's the perfect first opera for anybody."
So much so that the current production is the seventh staged by MOT over the past 35 years. "We've done only one opera more than 'Boheme,' and that's 'Madame Butterfly.' Both are Puccini operas, and they have always fascinated and thrilled the public," DiChiera said.
"La Boheme" is the second production of MOT's 35th anniversary season. It's been a long, adventurous journey for the founding general director. Not only is MOT considered one of the 10 major opera companies in the nation, but it has also been the catalyst for change in Detroit's downtown theater district.
But his immediate concern is filling the house for "La Boheme." "I think young people who come to see it will have no problems feeling that this is a very real kind of story," DiChiera said. "I'm particularly anxious for young people to see it, because I think it will hook them into the excitement of opera."
And if that's not enough, consider this: "Everybody in the cast is so young and attractive," the general director teased, "and that's what 'Boheme' is all about!"
"La Boheme" will be presented by the Michigan Opera Theatre at the Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway, Detroit, Nov. 5,6,9,11-13 only. Tickets: $28-$113. For information: 313-237-SING orhttp://www.motopera.org.
