Elephant tale stomps on talented actors
An elephant could no doubt fit in the Kimmel Center's rooftop Hamilton Garden, and the Kimmel's lobby expanse well suits the carnivalesque staging of The Trial of Murderous Mary.
An elephant could no doubt fit in the Kimmel Center's rooftop Hamilton Garden, and the Kimmel's lobby expanse well suits the carnivalesque staging of
The Trial of Murderous Mary
.
No real pachyderms appear in this clown-and-puppet parable about actual events that took place in Kingsport, Tenn., in 1916. And, unfortunately, little that suggests a circus or a tragedy occurs in this slow-moving, unexciting 50-minute work created for the second Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts.
After five minutes spent unnecessarily (and unceremoniously) erecting a big top, Aaron Cromie's Ringmaster introduces the circus talent. In too-brief interludes, Dave Johnson juggles, Sarah Gliko sings, Gwen Rooker clowns, and dancer Erin Carney contorts. Behind a scrim, Jered McLenigan's shadow puppets show the cast taming toy horses and lions, pantomiming a tightrope walk or coralling elephants. Sarah Cogan's lighting works here, but otherwise falters in evoking any spectacle.
This crew travels from town to town, their journey narrated through catchy, well-rendered original songs (penned by the ensemble), which the cast accompanies on kazoo, guitar, banjo, and accordion. Bluegrass riffs, and one sly imitation of The Music Man's opening number, underscore a quintet of fantastic voices that harmonize exquisitely.
Once the circus arrives in Kingsport, the ensemble fills a variety of roles as townsfolk, a judge, and sheriff. A few moments of humor peek through, mostly in clever name jokes. The once-welcoming town turns hostile when Mary tramples an inexperienced handler.
Themes about animal cruelty and whether justice must satisfy the mob flash by like the shadow puppets: unrealized allusions to what a real script would offer. Cromie's Ringmaster provides the only character with any depth, yet his turn from moral family entertainer to profit-driven shill receives little justification in the lackluster text.
I left wondering how five otherwise incredibly talented performers could produce such a stinker. Maybe there was an elephant in the room after all.
The Trial of Murderous Mary
Through Saturday at the Kimmel Center's Hamilton Garden, Broad and Spruce Streets. Tickets: $29. Information: 215-546-7432, pifa.org.
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