Past Reviews

Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C.

A Tale of Two Cities
Synetic Theater

Also see Susan's reviews of NSFW and the Letters


Alex Mills and Vato Tsikurishvili
Alex Mills is the main attraction in Everett Quinton's manic adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities, now at Synetic Theater in Arlington, Virginia, but Vato Tsikurishvili proves that he can steal scenes with little more than a broad, malleable face and a knack for baby talk that almost makes sense.

The premise of Quinton's solo version of the Charles Dickens novel is that Jerry (Mills), a drag queen preparing for a performance, discovers an abandoned baby (Tsikurishvili) on his doorstep. As Jerry tries to calm the child with bedtime stories, he finds himself acting out all the parts of "A Tale of Two Cities," incorporating props and bits of costume from around his cluttered but fabulous apartment. (A severed head for a guillotine scene? A foam wig form. The silhouette of an 18th-century gown? A birdcage on each hip.)

Mills is certainly game and energetic enough to sustain the 100-minute performance, but it drags at times (unlike many Synetic shows, this one is wordy—is it considered dialogue when only one actor is speaking?) and the streamlined contortions of the company's usual works aren't a natural fit with the material. Perhaps another problem is that the whole idea of drag performance, once edgy and only for "sophisticated" viewers, has gone mainstream in the decades since Quinton premiered the play in 1989.

But then there's that baby, who in other productions is simply represented with a doll. Whether director Serge Seiden or choreographer Irina Tsikurishvili came up with the idea of pairing the face of an adult actor with a puppet-like body, it's a delicious effect. Vato Tsikurishvili conceals his stocky body behind the sofa cushions and reacts to Jerry's storytelling by crossing his eyes, yowling, and manipulating his tiny plastic arms.

While Luciana Stecconi's scenic design is more concrete, less abstract than most Synetic productions, it's packed with imaginative detail, from the movie posters on the walls and the hot pink bathtub in the center of the room to the loft bed above a storage closet. Kendra Rai's costume designs capture the spirit of the enterprise as Jerry ultimately makes his debut as a French Revolutionary drag diva.

Synetic Theater
A Tale of Two Cities
May 13th —June 21st
By Everett Quinton, based on the novel by Charles Dickens
Jerry: Alex Mills
Dorian (the baby): Vato Tsikurishvili
Directed by Serge Seiden
Choreography by Irina Tsikurishvili
1800 S. Bell St.
Arlington, VA 22202
Ticket Information: 866-811-4111 or www.synetictheater.org


Photo: Koko Lanham