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Regional Reviews: Minneapolis/St. Paul The Longest Night Also see Arthur's reviews of The Chanukah Guest and A Christmas Story, the Musical
Bradley Greenwald has proven himself time and again on Twin Cities stages as a fine actor in both musical and non-musical roles. He has created The Longest Night in response to what appears to be a very personal interest in why it is that cultures old and new, in all parts of the world, have all devised response to the winter solstice. He names some of the holidays—Christmas, Kwanza, Chanukah, and a great many others—but his work is not about the holidays. Instead, it speaks to the universal connection between human life and our star. We seek reassurance when the Sun appears to be leaving us, celebrate its return, and seize the Sun's "rebirth" as an opportunity for new beginnings in our own lives, as when we make New Year's resolutions. Greenwald has compiled an eclectic mix of styles and genres. We have Rodgers and Hart ("The Shortest Day of the Year"), Leonard Cohen ("Anthem"), John Dryden poetry set to the music of Henry Purcell, a song ("You Only Cross My Mind in Winter") with lyrics by Sting set to the music of J.S. Bach, two songs from the obscure Broadway musical Celebration by Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, "Let the Sunshine In" from Hair, which became an audience sing-along, and more. Especially clever is a mock seminar explaining how the rotation of the Earth around the Sun produces the Solstice, using gaily designed paper plate puppets as visual aids—leading up to singing Carole King's "So Far Away," an entreaty to the Sun to come back to us. Another highlight is "The Christians and the Pagans," a satiric Dar Williams song that imagines a family of radically different perspectives on faith struggling to find common ground around the holiday table. In all of these, Greenwald employs his magnificent baritone to bring out the warmth, fear, humor, yearning, or jubilation as the song may warrant. He does not just sing the songs, he melds both drama and music into each one. Greenwald is helped immeasurably by the exquisite piano work of Sonja Thompson. Ms. Thompson does not put her own personality forward, but her deft touch with each song elaborates on the feelings within. She has two solo piano pieces, both drawing the audience's rapt attention to each note, and creating a calm that is as assuring of the Sun's return as any of the words, sung or spoken. As for the spoken words, Greenwald offers poems and snippets ranging from William Blake to Ogden Nash, Mary Oliver to Rainer Maria Rilke to Margaret Atwood and more. His delivery of "Haiku Inspired by My Seasonal Affective Disorder", by Lindsey Finn, is both funny and heart-wrenching. He offers text from Joseph Campbell's "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" that endeavors to explain the human need to create ceremonies around natural phenomena. As with his singing, Greenwald uses the gifts at his disposal—facial expressions, hand gestures, tone and volume—to make each a complete drama. The intimate space at The Open Eye Figure Theatre, with its weathered brick proscenium arch, is perfectly suited for this offering. The lighting design mimics the ebb and flow of light described in each song or oration. Near the end of the performance, the lights are turned off completely and we listen to Mr. Greenwald's stirring invocation to the dark. This leads to lighting a candle, and the light of this single candle beams as if a searchlight were panning the sky, illuminating Greenwald's face as he continues, drawing us with him on the journey from light to darkness to light's return. There is nothing in the way of a set and the costumes are simply tasteful holiday-appropriate attire. But this evening is unquestionably one of the most stimulating to both the senses and the mind that you are likely to enjoy this holiday season. The other three folks with whom I attended The Longest Night all agreed with me, that this could become an annual tradition ... if Mr. Greenwald and Ms. Thompson see fit to offer it thus. We can hope that this too becomes part of the recurring cycle of ceremonies and celebrations that provide us with solid footing on this speedily moving planet. The Longest Night continues at the Open Eye Figure Theatre through December 22, 2014. 506 East 24th Street, Minneapolis, MN, Tickets are $24.00, $22.00 for seniors, and $18.00 for students. For tickets call 612-874-6338 or visit http://openeyetheatre.org. Music and Lyrics by: Robin Pecknoid, Bradley Greenwald and Harvey Schmidt, Edvard Grieg, Wilhelm Müller and Franz Schubert, John Dowland, Leonard Cohen, James Rado and Gerome Ragni and Galt MacDermot, Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, Dar Williams, Brad Kay, Carole King, John Dryden and Henry Purcell, Don McLean, Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers, Sting and J.S. Bach, Peter Mayer and J. Benjamin Druskin. Essays and Poetry by: Margaret Atwood, William Blake, Joseph Campbell, Lindsay Finn, Amy Gerstler, Dana Gioia, Bradley Greenwald, Ogden Nash, Mary Oliver, Ezra Pound, and Rainer Maria Rilke. Created by Bradley Greenwald; Producer: Susan Haas; Lighting Designer: Darren Hensel; Recording and Sound: Sean Healey; Stage Manager: Stacy Schultz Cast: Bradley Greenwald, Sonja Thompson (piano).
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