Minimalist Passion is stunningly emotional
Passion
(out of 4) Music & lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by James Lapine. Directed by Gary Griffin. Until Aug. 22 at the Studio Theatre. 1-800-567-1600. STRATFORD— Alexandre Dumas is credited with having said that all one needs to do great theatre is “two planks and a passion.”
Having seen the concert version of a certain Stephen Sondheim show that opened at the Studio Theatre here on Saturday afternoon, one could amend it to say that all you need to do a great production of Passion is two planks and the actors to stand on them, singing their hearts out.
This 1994 musical is set in 19thcentury Italy at a small military outpost and tells the story of Giorgio, a handsome soldier who is assigned there by chance and becomes the love object of an unattractive, sickly woman named Fosca.
It’s a deeply emotional piece, asking profound questions about what constitutes true love and genuine passion and it can prove incredibly difficult to realize on stage, but director Gary Griffin has pulled it off.
Using minimal staging, a small (but highly gifted) supporting company drawn from the Festival’s mainstage musicals and an exquisite musical trio (Franklin Brasz and Reza Jacobs on piano, David Campion on percussion), Griffin prepares us for the three leading players who make this work catch fire.
Alexis Gordon finds a world of com- plexity in the seemingly straightforward character of Clara, the sensual married woman who seeks excitement by her affair with the young Giorgio. The warmth of her voice and presence are a perfect contrast to the ultimate chill of her heart.
But the major burden of the show falls on the shoulders of the duo playing Giorgio and Fosca, whom Griffin has cast to perfection.
Stephen Patterson has long been known as a musical theatre performer of great charm, boundless energy and an angelically sweet voice. But here, he shows us sides of himself that we’ve never witnessed before: deep hurt, inner longing and a series of burnished lower tones that ring out with emotion.
But even that pales behind what Cynthia Dale does with the role of Fosca. She throws away her usual arsenal of weapons: beauty, sophistication and a crystalline soprano sound.
Instead, she gives us a frankly unappealing woman, naked in her longing, desperate in her desire and letting everything emerge from a voice thick with emotion and deep with despair. This bare-bones, simply stunning version of Sondheim’s troubling work has only three more performances (August 12, 16 and 22). If you love great musical theatre, you owe it to yourself to see it. And we can only hope it gets revived again in a coming season.
Dale’s performance as Fosca demonstrates that inside every attractive woman, a plain one is struggling to be set free as well. Set free so that she can show us just what true beauty really consists of.