Entertainment :: Theatre
Animal Crackers by Joseph Erbentraut
EDGE ContributorSunday Oct 4, 2009 To call Henry Wishcamper’s new adaptation of the Marx Brothers’ 1928 classic "Animal Crackers" an ambitious work would be an outrageous understatement.
The production, currently on stage at the Goodman Theatre, is everything that a adaptation should be. First, it holds extraordinarily true to the original creation’s script, as Wishcamper has pulled from previously overlooked subtleties to the work’s original edit. Second, the original’s ante has been impressively upped, as the cast originally played by dozens has been condensed down to a cast of only nine, all of whom play multiple characters. The end result is a relentless circus of hilarious wordplay and physical comedy from some of the most talented comic actors in the business.
As the show opens, the audience catches its first glimpse of the talented cast in the first of many vaudeville-styled vignettes that bridge together act and scenery changes and serve the mood of raucous Long Island society. When the curtain opens, we find Mrs. Rittenhouse (Ora Jones) preparing her home for a fabulous gathering of such society folk, and she is particularly awaiting the arrival of Captain Jeffrey T. Spaulding, an adventurer who’d just returned from the then-hardly known land of Africa. Her other guests clamor as they anticipate the arrival of Spaulding and other "need-to-knows" of the city.
But, of course, the party goes off with more hitches than could be anticipated, particularly when a celebrated piece of art goes missing from the home. Spaulding (played brilliantly by Joey Slotnick as Groucho), as it turns out, is far from an admirable character. On top of that, many of the party guests have arrived with their fair share of alterior motives (particularly the hilarious duo of female villains, played by Jessie Mueller and Mara Davi) and personal hang-ups (including the endearingly insecure artist John Parker, played by Ed Kross).
The plot thickens as the search for the painting’s burglar continues, and the Marx Brother characters enliven the evening with their non-stop antics. As Chico ("Emanuel Ravelli") and Harpo ("The Professor"), Jonathan Brody and Molly Brennan are absolutely brilliant and deserve special mention, though the entire cast’s spot-on execution of the work’s many demands was other-worldly. The dance scenes were performed effortlessly and the physical antics - rolling down stairs, falling off ladders, climbing on top of each other, you name it, it happens - were all fully committed to.
In addition to the outstanding performances from the ensemble, the production crew also deserves its accolades, as the many, many props and costumes utilized were all fantastic, the lighting was attentive and contributed to the show’s varying moods and the set was also impressive. The music, backed by a small on-stage band, was also great, as the musicians sometimes became characters themselves.
I do not have the words (nor the space within my word constraints) to further explain the brilliance of "Animal Crackers." Put simply, this is a monumental work that lives up to the "ground-breaking" label all-too-often over used by theater publicists. In the words of Groucho, "hello, you must be going" to see this incredible show.
"Animal Crackers" plays at the Goodman through November 1. For information including a performance schedule, tickets and more, visit www.goodmantheatre.org or call 312-443-3800.
Joseph covers news, arts and entertainment and lives in Chicago.
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