1O8 1 Thealre }ournaI

uvardIy mobiIe Hisanic yuie (slereolyed as

huie) vho hnds her hanc's recious deIighls
in lhe form of micr!c (shil) Iefl in odd Iaces around
lheir aarlmenlarl of an aarenl sexuaI felish.
Terri vehemenlIy denies visiling lhe sile because
of her Hisanic herilage, lherefore sneaking lo lhe
shrine in lhe middIe of lhe nighl vearing ridicuIous
ink a|amas and Igg bools. Whal aears more
ridicuIous, hovever, is Terri's coverl efforl lo hide
her elhnicily under lhe veneer of designer cIolhes
in lhe darkness of midnighla vaIking leslamenl
lo lhe secrelive, suerhciaI, and shilly relenses
of genlrihcalion. Desile her exlreme efforls lo hide
her idenlily, Terri confesses: This is lhe onIy Iace
lhal makes sense lo me righl nov. Nol afraid lo
Iaugh uiin silualions and sociaI slereolyes lhal
mighl be erceived as oulrageoushuie, |ogger,
deacon, IiberaIlhe roduclion derived ils humor
from ils characlers' reveIalions of lhings lhey vouId
normaIIy be loo oIile lo say in ubIic, incIuding
raciaI, reIigious, and sociaI biases. These saliricaI,
yel aIso aulhenlic, deiclions of lhe eoIe direclIy
invoIved in lhe memoriaI drev allenlion lo divisions
vilhin lhe communily and suggesled commonaIily
among lhe individuaIs.
The roduclion's comic momenls, hovever, vere
nol lo be mislaken for ridicuIe. Saracho, direclor San-
dra Marquez, and lhe ensembIe acliveIy resisl mock-
ing al lhe exense of lhose vho beIieved. More lhan
one characler noled lhal nevs coverage of lhe under-
ass henomenon ridicuIed il as a sorl of Hisanic
vorshiing vaII. ConverseIy, Saracho's humor
gave voice lo lhose siIenced in lhe media. As Mag-
daIena oinlIy comIained, Americans lhink immi-
granls musl be dumb. She relorled lhal Americans
are dumb. Do lhey knov lhe cailaI of IoIand` And
lhey come here and make fun of our failh` . . . Whal's
vrong vilh making lhis a hoIy Iace` In resonse
lo MagdaIena's queslion, lhe roduclion successfuIIy
endoved lhe sace vilh hoIiness. When The }ogger
lhrev his gum againsl lhe vaII, an audibIe reaclion
of shock and disgusl eruled from lhe audience.
Transilioning belveen monoIogues, aclors re-
lurned lo lhe chorus as ersonaI rayers gave vay
lo sardonic sociooIilicaI coIIecls Iike Slave off
lhe Yuies, HeavenIy Molher. Save us from lhe
genlrihcalion! IndeendenlIy and coIIecliveIy, lhe
ensembIe of Our Ic!q cj inc Un!crpcss voiced a di-
versily of communily increasingIy absenled lhrough
hegemonic forces. The chaIIenge of having an au-
lonomous voice amid lhe hegemony is nol Iosl on
Tealro Visla, vhich, in lhis inslance, erformed as
guesl arlisls in a Chicago neighborhood lhal is in
lhe rocess of genlrihcalion.
olh lhe originaI aarilion and Saracho's Iay
iIIuslrale lhe erformalive commemoralive, in lhal
lhey insisl and inserl lhe voices of Chicago's
elhnic communilies inlo a Iarger discourse on cuI-
lure, lradilion, and idenlily. Nolevorlhy, loo, vas
lhe broader communily accelance of such exres-
sion vhen medialed lhrough lhe cuIluraIIy rivi-
Ieged osilion of lhe rofessionaI lhealre. Desile
ils osilion in a rofessionaI lhealre in a genlrihed
neighborhood, Saracho's Iay memoriaIized lhe
Virgin vilhin lhe funerary lradilion in order lo
Iace issues of genlrihcalion, immigralion, and cuI-
luraI idenlily before an aggregale lhealre audience.
As lhe erformance concIuded, sIides of lhe ac-
luaI urban aIlar and ils visilors vere ro|ecled onlo
lhe scenic underass vaII. Some audience members
slayed lo viev lhe images, and olhers vho began
lo make lheir vay oul of lhe lhealre lurned back in
a geslure of reverence. This vas bolh lhe leslimony
and effecl of Saracho's Iay, vhich documenled an
imorlanl lhough disregarded momenl in lhe siri-
luaI hislory of Chicago. AIlhough lhe originaI Virgin
has disaeared from lhe underass vaII, her res-
ence vas resurrecled in Our Ic!q cj inc Un!crpcss.
Through lhis roduclion, Saracho, Marquez, and
Tealro Visla exlended lhe reerloire of lhe erfor-
malive commemoralive beyond lhe roadside cross
and onlo lhe shrine of lhe slage, iIIuminaling lhe
form and funclion behind lhis examIe of lhealre
of leslimony.
KARI-ANNE INNES
Bowling Green State University
THE PEOPLE IN THE PICTURE. Book and
lyrics by Iris Rainer Dart. Music by Mike
Stoller and Artie Butler. Directed by Leonard
Foglia. Musical staging by Andy Blankenbue-
hler. Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio
54, New York City. 26 April 2011.
Ior lhose vho conslanlIy bemoan lhe demise of
lhe originaI musicaI on roadvay, lhe riches of
lhe 2O1O11 season vere eseciaIIy abundanl: lveIve
nev musicaIs, lvo-lhirds vilh originaI (ralher lhan
|ukebox) scores, and onIy a fev based on ouIar
movies. Lven more unusuaI vas lhal lhree of lhese
nev musicaIs debuled coId, vilhoul ubIic ro-
duclions rior lo roadvay. The anlicialion of
unknovn, nev musicaIs inevilabIy roduces greal
execlalions, bul if such shovs occasionaIIy receive
ralurous resonse (1nc Bcc| cj Mcrmcn), lhey are
more oflen mel by sighs of disaoinlmenl (Wcmcn
cn inc Vcrgc cj c Ncrtcus Brcc|!cun). ul lhe ex-
lreme reaclions engendered by lhe high slakes of
roadvay musicaIs inevilabIy hide lhe more mod-
ILRIRMANCL RLVILW 1 1O9
esl revards. Such is lhe case vilh 1nc Pccp|c in inc
Piciurc. If far from erfecl, lhis nev musicaI merils
allenlion nol onIy because il hnds humor in lhe
darkesl of Iaces, as does 1nc Bcc| cj Mcrmcn, nor
even because il riviIeges femaIe famiIiaI and sociaI
bonds, as in Wcmcn cn inc Vcrgc cj c Ncrtcus Brcc|-
!cun, incIuding bolh of lhese asecls, 1nc Pccp|c in
inc Piciurc goes beyond lo creale a comIex, even
uneasy |uxlaosilion of asl and resenl, memory
and erformance.
1nc Pccp|c in inc Piciurc dramalizes hov one can
change lhe resenl by reIiving lhe asl, hov one's
resenl circumslances imacl lhe (re)conslruclion of
lhis asl, and hov lhe vay one chooses lo narrale
lhe evenls of one's Iifeexressed here as revriling
Iife lo be haycan bolh hurl and heaI. ubbie,
an eIderIy voman facing dealh in 1977 Nev York
Cily, decides lo hnaIIy leII her granddaughler }enny
aboul lhe eoIe in lhe iclure of a 193Os Yiddish
lhealre lroue. ubbielhen knovn as RaiseIvas
one of lhe Warsav Gang, arlisls vho used humor
as a slralegy for deaIing vilh lhe horrihc evenls of
193Os and '4Os IoIand. ubbie conlinues lhis slory-
leIIing slralegy vilh her granddaughler, no smaII
feal for a voman vho bareIy survived lhe HoIo-
causl. ubbie's daughler Red has Iong disavoved
lhese slories, refusing lo acknovIedge lheir imor-
lance and dissuading ubbie from leIIing lhem lo
}enny or leaching her a vord of Yiddish. LvenluaIIy
lhe Iay reveaIs and ameIiorales lhe anlialhy be-
lveen Red and ubbie by acknovIedging lhe eoIe
in cncincr iclure, one lhal reresenls some of lhe
difhcuIl, even secrel choices RaiseI had lo make in
order lo save her young daughler.
The sIiage belveen memory and erformance
lhreaded lhroughoul lhe musicaI roduclion, begin-
ning vilh lhe sel design. The sel vas al hrsl gIance a
coIIeclion of iclure frames, dominaled by an enor-
mous giIded frame lhal liIled oul lovard lhe audi-
ence. CIoser inseclion reveaIed lhal some frames
Iacked a bollom edge and lherefore more cIoseIy re-
sembIed roscenium arches, aIIoving lhe characlers
lo exisl simuIlaneousIy as bolh reresenlalions of a
hxed asl and aclors in an uncerlain resenl. The
evocalive Iighling and ro|eclions, oflen faded Iike
oId holograhs, emhasized lhe haunling res-
ence of lhe asl. The ro|eclion screen, vhich had
hIIed lhe gianl giIded frame, disaeared al lhe end
of acl 1, erhas lo signify lhe increasing vioIence
and lhe inciienl Warsav Ghello. Thal ro|eclions
in acl 2 vere shovn on a brick vaII may have been
inlended lo suggesl lhe slarkness of lhe ghello, lhe
Donna Murhy (ubbie) and RacheI Resheff (}enny) in 1nc Pccp|c in inc Piciurc. (Iholo: }oan Marcus.)
11O 1 Thealre }ournaI
Ioss of recognizabIe suorl slruclures, or lhe ease
vilh vhich iniliaIIy shar images of lhe asl fade
inlo lhe background. ul lhis shar scenic conlrasl
belveen acls vas al odds vilh lhe resl of lhe shov,
in vhich lhe asl and resenl, lhe reaI and imag-
ined, lhe hclionaI slories and Iived lrulhs vere in
conslanl ux.
This conslanl ux of asl and resenl vas besl
embodied in Donna Murhy's exlraordinary erfor-
mance. As bolh ubbie and RaiseI, Murhy exerlIy
shifled belveen lhe lvo ages of lhis same characler,
using onIy a kerchief, gIasses, and her ovn body
lo effecl lhe lransformalion. ul Murhy's erfor-
mance invoIved more lhan |usl hysicaI and gesluraI
vork: ubbie sees and laIks lo her comalriols as
ghosls, vhereas RaiseI inleracls vilh lhem as Iiv-
ing eoIe. This is a sublIe yel rofound dislinclion
and Murhy vas excelionaI al dislinguishing ub-
bie's memories from RaiseI's Iived exerience, oflen
moving from one lo lhe olher vilhin a senlence. In
her song SeIeclive Memory, Murhy venl even
furlher: in caluring bolh ages simuIlaneousIy, she
magicaIIy became ageIess.
If il vas nol oflen cIear vhelher lhe olher charac-
lers onslage vere memories from lhe asl or ghosls
haunling lhe resenl, 1nc Pccp|c in inc Piciurc viseIy
embraced lhis ambiguily, aIIoving lhem lo be bolh
al lhe same lime. Thal ubbie's granddaughler can
see lhe characlers in ubbie's memories highIighl-
ed }enny's oenness lo her famiIy hislory. RacheI
Resheff erformed decenlIy as }enny, aIlhough she
seemed loo aduIl in her somevhal forced allemls
al Iaying a girI vho underslands aII lhal her molher
cannol. Since }enny's molher Red disavovs lhese
slories, she cannol see RaiseI's lroue, Red assumes
lhal ubbie is laIking lo eoIe vho are nol lhere
and lakes il as a sure sign of her imending de-
mise. Red's resislance lo her ovn hislory is echoed
in lhe score, vhereas mosl of lhe score is infused
vilh kIezmer music, Red's songs evidence no lrace
of Yiddish inuence. As Red, NicoIe Iarker gave a
slandoul erformance, Iarker did nol simIy re-
Iace Red's iniliaI anger lovard her molher vilh a
nevfound symalhy and underslanding, bul she
deflIy inlegraled lhese emolions inlo her orlrayaI
as lhe musicaI rogressed.
}usl as ubbie oflen revriles her slories lo high-
Iighl lhe haier momenls, Iris Rainer Darl look
a simiIar aroach vilh lhe musicaI's book. Darl
gIossed over lhe deressing asecls of lhe evenls
and focused inslead on broad humor and meIo-
dramalic sloryIines. The ma|or Iol oinls vere
communicaled vilhoul much sublIely or shading,
mirroring lhe musicaI's reresenlalion of Yiddish
lhealre lroes. If lhis mighl be defended as a con-
scious slyIislic choice, il neverlheIess became vear-
ing, indeed, some of lhe besl scenes vere lhose vilh
onIy movemenl and no seaking. Ior inslance, lhe
second acl oened vilh a dance in vhich archives
vere hidden in miIk cans, an inlriguing bil of slag-
ing by Andy IankenbuehIer lhal onIy suffered afler
lhe facl by a didaclic exIanalion of vhal had |usl
haened. IankenbuehIer, besl knovn for lhe Lalin
and hi-ho choreograhy in |n inc Hcignis, seemed
an odd choice for lhis maleriaI, bul his almosheric
slyIe (he choreograhs movemenl lo haen around
lhe slage lhroughoul lhe shov, ralher lhan |usl in
isoIaled dance numbers) erfeclIy suiled a shov so
concerned vilh lhe ersislence of memory. In facl,
lhe biggesl dravback of 1nc Pccp|c in inc Piciurc vas
lhal by focusing so rominenlIy on hov humor gels
eoIe lhrough difhcuIl silualions, Darl and her coI-
Iaboralors risked a cerlain lriviaIily. I missed some
emolionaI comIexily, eseciaIIy in lhe suorling
characlers. WhiIe humor is a vaIid slralegy for co-
ing, one does nol make |okes c|| lhe lime.
Hovever, if lhe Warsav Gang bordered on being
slock Yiddish lhealre characlers, lhis vas rimar-
iIy a funclion of Darl's book, ralher lhan any fauIl
of lhe exceIIenl erformers. Yel as good as lhe men
vere, eseciaIIy musicaI lhealre slaIvarls AIexan-
der Gemignani, Chi Zien, and Chrisloher Innvar,
1nc Pccp|c in inc Piciurc is rimariIy a musicaI aboul
vomen. Midvay lhrough acl 2 lhe men Iefl lhe slage
and lhe vomen sang Saying Goodbye: Murhy
(as bolh ubbie and RaiseI) vas |oined by lhe aduIl
Red, lhe young Red (a surrisingIy Iarge-Iunged
Andie Mechanic), and Red's adolive molher Do-
brisch (a hearl-breaking Megan Reinking). Wilh
}enny valching on, lhis scene eilomized nol onIy
lhe malriIineaIily of }udaism, bul aIso lhe vays in
vhich muIliIe generalions of vomen mighl reIale
lo one anolher across seemingIy imassabIe saliaI
and lemoraI divides. Iasl and resenl affecl each
olher in surrising, even revoIulionary vays, and
lhis, erhas even more lhan lhe slralegy of revril-
ing Iife lo be hay, is vhal Iies al lhe hearl of 1nc
Pccp|c in inc Piciurc.
DAN DINERO
New York University
FOLLIES. Book by James Goldman. Music
and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Directed
by Eric Schaeffer. The Kennedy Center,
Eisenhower Theatre, Washington, DC. 11
June 2011.
Lven before lhe orcheslra Iayed lhe hrsl noles,
lhe audience vas aIready seeing ghosls. SeclraI