By: Greg Allen after Georg Buchner
At: Greasy Joan and Co. at Live Bait Theatre, 3914 N. Clark
Phone: ( 312 ) 458-0718; $10-$20
Through Dec. 17
BY SCOTT C. MORGAN
Woyzeck is an enigma. Left unfinished at Georg Buchner's death in 1837, Woyzeck only gained prominence in 20th-century performances when others pieced together the fragments.
Whether Buchner intended to write 'the first modern German drama' is debatable ( as most of the characters' roots stretch back to commedia dell'arte stock types ) . Woyzeck's unfinished malleability has made it perfect for ambitious adapters and directors to put their own stamp on this constructed expressionist property of alienation.
So Woyzeck's scenes are almost always rearranged. Even the title spelling is up for grabs ( as Alban Berg's revolutionary 12-tone opera adaptation from 1925 uses the moniker Wozzeck ) .
For Greasy Joan and Co., Neo-Futurist director and adapter Greg Allen sets Woyzeck in a carnival sideshow. It's a logical choice, since the title character pays a visit to a carnival in one scene. And what attracts gawkers more than watching an unstable and put-upon soldier become murderously unhinged?
My problem with Allen's production is his interpretation of title character. Carlo Garcia's broody Woyzeck stalks around the stage with a scowling confidence of someone who is in control of his facilities and surroundings. It's a marked change from other Woyzecks, who cower from the physical and mental abuse heaped upon him by authority figures.
Perhaps Allen is showing how Woyzeck perceives his actions logically in his own mind. It's a valid choice, but it makes the murder of his unfaithful girlfriend, Marie, less tragic. Instead of being Woyzeck's pithy and misguided way of lashing out at those mistreating him, the murder feels disturbingly premeditated and spiteful here.
Allen's repetitious foreshadowing of time-shifted scenes also won't endear the play to confused Woyzeck neophytes. Luckily, the acting ensemble helps to maintain interest.
Guy Massey's wry doubling as the carnival barker and quack doctor obsessed with peas and pee coaxes welcome laughs from the audience. Strong work also come from Dan Kerr-Hobert's dopey friend Andres and Don Di Giulio's hyper-butch Drum Major. Brian Koester's Captain could be more menacing, while Sarah Bendix's Marie could use a bit more desperation when considering her grinding poverty.
Woyzeck receives a handsomely grungy production with Marcus Stephens' stained fairground tent set and Alison Heryer's mix of drab and colorfully eye-popping period costumes. Rachel Damon's stark lighting of primary colors and heavy shadows also sets everything on edge.
Allen's entire production is all very admirable, but not something that truly sets you on edge or invites you to care about Woyzeck's predicament. But Woyzeck has never been a drama or character you want to cuddle up with. Buchner's blunt and pessimistic exploration of a soldier's mental downfall is meant to raise more questions than provide pat and easy answers.