Playwright: Jon Marans. At: Signal Ensemble at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division. Phone: 773-347-1350; $15-$20. Runs through: Dec. 15
A passing remark in Old Wicked Songs laments the reduction of art through emphasis on surface technique over spiritual depth. This is ironic, considering that the dots connected by playwright Jon Marans to keep his chamber drama from fragmenting into a confetti of loftily chosen words are so obvious that we might as well be looking at the blueprints: two strong personalities, relegated to one another's company, first squabble and then reconcile. Because Josef Mashkan is an elderly music teacher in Vienna and pianist Stephen Hoffman is a former child prodigy from California, discussions of cultural differences are as inevitable as clashes over the aesthetics of their craft. And since the selections at the center of their lessons are Schumann's Dichterliebe, forays into emotional issues are guaranteed.
The emotional dimensions in a tale of two human beings sharing a love of music cannot be underestimated, music being the most primal of the arts. But while many productions of Old Wicked Songs following its premiere in 1996 have boasted performers verbally adept at conveying the traits and mannerisms necessary for us to believe that these characters are, in fact, who they say that they are, all suspension of disbelief withers the moment that either sits down at the piano to stare at the keyboard while an electronic box, onstage or off, gushes forth the syrupy lieder demanded at that particular moment.
So the major factor that renders this Signal Ensemble production superior to its big-star, big-budget predecessors is that Vincent L. Lonergan and Shawn Pfautsch are not only accomplished actors, but more than that, they are also musicians—and, as such, capable of vocal and instrumental melodic improvisations revealing subtleties otherwise eclipsed by Marans' didactic proclamations. Thus, instead of simply being told, we are shown the relationship unfolding between these dissimilar men through their common language. And this is what rivets our attention for the time the author allots them to find grounds for accord.
That's not to discount the contributions of actor-turned-director Christopher Prentice, who surveys the dramatic picture with characteristic diligence. Or of the uncredited dialect coach who ascertains that Lonergan and Pfautsch speak German and English no more imperfectly than required. And of the scenic design team who deftly invoke tchotchke-cluttered Austrian ambience in a black-box basement. Ultimately, however, the tightly-connected teamwork of Lonergan and Pfautsch is the reason for playgoers to seek out this small brilliant gem hidden in an unfashionable corner of Wicker Park.
