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Jordan Wright
May 11, 2013
Special to The Alexandria Times
 The Musketeers and D’Artagnan: Hector Reynoso as Porthos, Dallas Tolentino as D’Artagnan, Ben Cunis as Athos and Matthew Ward as Aramis. Photo credit Johnny Shryock “It is supposed to be the most difficult task for a dancer to leap into a definite posture in such a way that there is not a second when he is grasping after the posture, but by the leap itself he stands fixed in that posture. Perhaps no dancer can do it — that is what this knight does. The knights of infinity are dancers and possess elevation. They make the movements upward, and fall down again; and this too is no mean pastime, nor ungraceful to behold.” – Soren Kierkegaard
Synetic’s dancers excel in perceived weightlessness and aerialistic suspension and in this production of The Three Musketeers their talent is well utilized. Thankfully most of the play is good old-fashioned swashbuckling, fight-till-the-death duels and leaping tour-de-force dances performed with a viscerally physical athleticism for which the ensemble is best known. It’s the script that gets in the way of the action.
 Dallas Tolentino as D’Artagnan, Mitchell Grant as the Duke of Buckingham and Brittany O’Grady as Constance. Photo credit – Johnny Shryock Playwright brothers Ben and Peter Cunis, seem to have conceived the play to serve as backdrop to the fight scenes using the speaking parts as a vehicle to hang the piece together until the next dramatic swordplay. And that’s a good thing since the dialogue is not nearly as riveting and the scene transitions are sometimes awkward.
In Alexandre Dumas’s classic you may recall D’Artagnan, the eager rube from Gascony, who endeavors to join the illustrious Musketeers, the King’s personal guard. The “barn boy” as the men refer to him, is determined to prove his mettle and his love for Constance, the Queen’s handmaiden. Within France’s Bastille, Athos, Porthos and Aramis serve a cuckolded child king, a beautiful queen and a Machiavellian cardinal. Their unforgettable motto, “All for one and one for all!” becomes a battle cry for “I’ll meet you at dawn!” “I’ll take you out!” and “How dare you insult me or my King!”
 A ball at the palace. Robert Bowen Smith as Louis XIII, Dan Istrate as Cardinal Richelieu, Brynn Tucker as Queen Anne and Ensemble. Photo credit – Johnny Shryock Dallas Torentino stands out as the eminently likeable D’Artagnan, whose love for Constance, played enchantingly by Brittany O’Grady, is placed in peril when she defends her queen’s cheating heart. Dance diva Irina Tsikurishvili as the treacherous Milady thrills in Act One in a pas de deux with Athos. Later, amidst an ongoing duel, she performs a macabre tango with the evil Cardinal Richelieu. Notable too are all three Musketeers – Hector Reynoso portraying Porthos as a short-tempered, speech-slurring buffoon; Ben Cunis rendering Aramis, the priest wannabe, as a handkerchief hoarding heartbreaker; and Matthew Ward as Athos the Musketeer with a dark past. But it’s Robert Bowen Smith as the petulant, mincing King Louis XIII who sends it over the top.
Set to an olio of bal-musette, a dash of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March, and a soupçon of exhilarating orchestral pieces, the play is a departure from Synetic’s Silent Shakespeare Series but keeps to the troupe’s same riveting dance-centric tradition.
Through June 9th at Synetic Theater, 1800 South Bell Street, Arlington in Crystal City. For tickets and information call 1 800 494-8497 or visit www.synetictheater.org.
Jordan Wright
Feb 25, 2013
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Cast of The Tempest; photo by Johnny Shryock There is only one way to grok Synetic’s ‘Silent Shakespeare’ productions and that is to give your self over, heart, mind and soul, to the fantasy unfolding upon the stage. Because like a steamy love affair, Synetic’s style of theatre is a paean to passion with no holds barred. It’s total surrender without a net. There is neither map nor compass, nor sheet music nor gyroscope, to guide you – even for The Tempest, a tale you thought you knew. But in the time it takes one thunderous lightning bolt to reach earth, Synetic has entered your brain space and there is no turning back.
The play opens to a breathtaking set designed by Anastasia Rurikov Simes. The entire stage is an island of 2,500 gallons of six-inch deep water. As Artistic Director, Paata Tsikurishvili, announced on opening night, “This set is extremely dangerous and extremely difficult to perform on,” further evidence that Synetic’s alternate universe, filled to overflowing with technological wizardry, is a perilous experiment. In 2010 Synetic employed this same technique in its production of King Arthur and people have been raving about it ever since.
We enter this watery world with the appearance of Prospero (Phillip Fletcher) cutting an elegant swath through the mist – the backdrop lit by the swirling amorphous shapes of a ferocious storm and draped with diaphanous torn sails of a ship run aground. Ocean waves crash cacophonously against the island’s cliffs and eerie electronic music swells in the distance. A piano sits off to the side, its keyboard a waterfall under which Caliban retreats. A light box held by Prospero to reference his precious books, pulses in shades of red and pink.
Soon the two meet and lock in a ferocious battle as sprays of water spew across the stage and onto the first three rows known as the “splash zone”. No worries. Courtesy ponchos are graciously provided.
 Ryan Tumulty as Alonso and Philip Fletcher as Prospero; Irina Kavsadze as Miranda and Scott Brown as Ferdinand (in background) photo by Johnny Shryock Dan Istrate, one of the leading luminaries of Russian theatre, guest stars in his role as the pop-locking Ariel, clad in an anime-inspired costume deserving of the Silver Surfer, and designed by, yes, Simes again, who does triple duty with set, costumes and properties. Irakli Kavadze is outstanding as Stephano, the drunken captain, as are the sensuous sylph-like Irina Kavsadze as Miranda, and Vato Tsikurishvili as the brutish Caliban.
An overall sense of magic and mysticism pervades every riveting aspect of this production where dizzying acrobatics, flips, somersaults and ballet combine with the elements of water, sound and light to give the audience an electrifying rendition of Shakespeare without words, an unparalleled near-psychedelic experience, dotted with Gangnam style, Latin salsa and waltz, including a synchronized nod to Busby Berkeley.
Highly recommended.
Through March 24th at Synetic Theater, 1800 South Bell Street, Arlington in Crystal City. For tickets and information call 1 800 494-8497 or visit www.synetictheater.org.
Jordan Wright
December 10, 2012
Special to The Alexandria Times
Here’s the grabber up front. Synetic Theater’s A Trip to the Moon is one of the most exciting, imaginative, flawless pieces of theatre I’ve seen in light years. If I were to use a rating system, I would give it five glowing stars.
 Pasquale Guiducci, Ben Arden, and Victoria Bertocci in “A Trip to the Moon.” Projection Design by Jared Mezzocchi. Photo by Johnny Shryock. In this wonder-filled production Japanese director/writer/illustrator and Georgetown professor, Natsu Onoda Powers brings us a lively triptych of vignettes. In the first she sources her inspiration from George Melies 1902 silent sci-fi film, Le Voyage Dans La Lune referenced in Martin Scorsese’s recent Oscar-winning film Hugo. A stage-wide interactive paper scrim delivers illustrations, schematics and film projections dovetailing with the action on stage. Performers seamlessly slide in and out of invisible openings in the paper and there is a heightened experience achieved by integrating an alternate stage above the main stage. By incorporating that usually empty third into the design, there is full use of the space for performers to deliver their performances both from above and below. In one hyperkinetic scene the astronauts, working with a collection of cutout shapes cleverly reconfigure the pieces to depict boats, airplanes and a hot air balloon to create a design for their spacecraft.
The action becomes more and more frenetic including prancing chorus girls and mad scientists whirling about. It’s an hilarious moment when the man in the moon walks on stage, wrapped in shiny black plastic with a white circle of paper surrounding his face, and is slathered with ‘moon whip’. With Synetic there is always that connection to the Theatre of the Absurd.
 Francesca Jandasek and Colin Analco in “A Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.” Photo by Johnny Shryock. The second in this series of space travels is The Bamboo Cutter, an ancient Japanese tale of a woodsman (played by Colin Analco) who finds a child in a glowing length of bamboo. He takes her home to his wife and she becomes a beautiful princess with magical powers. Katrina Clark deftly plays the gossamer moon maiden. To please her father she must marry but first she orders suitors to pass a rigorous test – to find a silver branch with gold pearls from a treacherous island, a necklace from a dragon and a golden egg. The young men attempt to woo her with Kendo fighting, song, juggling, pantomime and modern day sign spinning. There is even a Chippendales-style dancer and a hip-shaking hula hooper bent on winning her affections.
In this piece the costumes by designer Kendra Rai are both fabulous and phantasmagoric with heavily beaded and trimmed robes, gowns and fanciful headpieces. Sets designed by Giorgos Tsappas, seem lifted from classical 17th Century Japanese paintings.
 Karen O’Connell as Laika in “Laika the Space Dog.” Photo by Johnny Shryock The final story is set in Moscow in the 1950’s. It is the story of Laika, the first dog to travel to the moon, and is told from the dog’s perspective. Endearingly and unforgettably performed by Karen O’Connell, who is costumed as the other canines in furry muscular leggings, it is a tale of a little stray who finds her dog family in the mean streets, is then captured and taken to a dismal pound only to be saved by rocketeers for a space mission. It is told through woofing, yipping, baying and whimpering and through the eyes of the adorable Laika. If you’re a dog owner, or have ever known a dog, you will howl with pleasure, especially in the indelibly romantic dream sequence of a pas de deux between Laika’s adoptive mother (Francesca Jandasek) and the Moon King (Ben Arden).
Highly recommended.
Through January 6th at Synetic Theater, 1800 South Bell Street, Arlington in Crystal City. For tickets and information call 1 800 494-8497 or visit www.synetictheater.org.
Jordan Wright
November 26, 2012
Special to The Alexandria Times
What merriment is in store for us this holiday season? Well some are naughty (R-Rated) and some are nice (G-Rated) but check my quirky ratings for special notations. Here’s all the holiday drama you’ll need in a host of scintillating Christmas shows nearby.
 Broadway Christmas Carol – Michael Sharp,Tracey Stephens and Jacob Kidder. Photo courtesy of MetroStage. It’s getting to be a habit at MetroStage with the third annual mad hilarious A Broadway Christmas Carol. The tidy three-person cast of Michael Sharp, Jacob Kidder and Tracey Stephens trills harmonious whilst decking the halls with lots of show tunes and dizzying costume changes in this delicious dose of Christmas spoof. Under the musical direction of Howard Breitbart, this screamingly funny pastiche is rated SGIFB for “Sophisticated Grownups with Intact Funny Bone”.
From November 15th through December 23rd; Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm; Sundays at 3 and 7pm. For tickets and information call 800 494-8497 or visit www.metrostage.org. 1201 North Royal Street, Alexandria, VA
 A Christmas Carol – Photo courtesy of LTA The Little Theatre of Alexandria revives their time-tested production of A Christmas Carol. Directed and adapted by Rachael Hubbard, this Charles Dickens’ classic will warm the cockles of everyone’s heart. Replete with elegant Victorian costumes, the accursed curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge, and the adorable Tiny Tim, you can almost smell the chestnuts roasting as ghostly guides transport you through Christmas past, present and future. Settle in beside a crackling fireplace along with wassailing couples to relive this Currier & Ives picture postcard depicting the true meaning of Christmas. Rated RCV for “Required Christmas Viewing”.
From November 30th through December 16th, Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm and 5pm. For tickets and information call 703 683-0496 or visit www.TheLittleTheatre.com. 600 Wolfe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314
After a day of shopping and dining Signature Theatre, located in the heart of Shirlington Village, will be the perfect spot to jolly up with glass of wine and a Christmas-inspired cabaret.
 “Holiday Guys” – Marc Kudisch (left) and Jeffry Denman. Photo courtesy of Signature Theatre Three-time Tony Award nominee, Mark Kudisch and Astaire Award nominee, Jeffry Denman pair up in Holiday Guys – a limited run holiday show complete with song, dance, and silliness. Special performance schedule: December 11th at 7:30pm; December 12th at 7:30pm; December 13th at 8:00pm; December 14th at 8:00pm; December 15th at 2:00pm and 8:00pm; December 16th at 2:00pm and 7:00pm.
Also at Signature and back again, by popular demand, is the festive series Holiday Follies. Featuring a wonderful wintry line-up of special guest performers, along with a host of Signature’s closest friends and artists, there’s never been a better way to keep company on a cold night. Special performance schedule: December 18th at 7:30pm; December 19th at 7:30pm; December 20th at 8:00pm; December 21st at 8:00pm; December 22nd at 2:00pm and 8:00pm; December 23rd at 2:00pm and 7:00pm.
Both shows are rated HXS for “Hip Xmas Special”. Tickets for Holiday Guys and Holiday Follies are on sale online at www.signature-theatre.orgor through the Signature Box Office at 703 573-SEAT. 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA 22206
 Best Christmas Pageant – Photo from Synetic This holiday season Synetic Theater will present The Best Christmas Pageant Ever starring the Synetic Teen Ensemble. In this irreverent comedy about an annual Christmas pageant the usually festive celebration by the Sunday school children has gone awry. The Herdman family, a bunch of rotten, misbehaving, swearing, bullying kids take part in the Christmas Pageant and all chaos breaks loose. Can the church learn to love even its most wayward children? It could be a total disaster, or it just might be The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!
The show is rated GKCI for “Gives Kids Cool Ideas”. Special performance schedule: December 15th at 2pm; December 16th at 11am; December 21st at 10am and December 22nd through the 27th at 11am. Family friendly indeed! For tickets and information call 800 494-8497 or visit www.synetictheater.org. 1800 South Bell Street, Arlington, VA 22202
Jordan Wright
November 28, 2011
Special to The Alexandria Times
 Natalie Berk as Juliet and Alex Mills as Romeo - Photo Credit: Graeme B. Shaw When Artistic Director Paata Tsikurishvili asked in his intro, “How many of you have been to a Synetic production before?” and half the audience’s hands shot up, even he was as surprised as the rest of us converts to this exciting brand of physical theatre. My seat neighbors, a mother and daughter who were Paraguayan, asked me if the play was silent. I could hardly wait to see their reactions after the show. (In a small world moment they were just as amazed to see a fellow countryman in the production.)
A giant swaying pendulum is the symbol Synetic Theater presents to describe the inconvenient passage of time in its recent remount of their celebrated and multiple Helen Hayes-awarded production of Romeo and Juliet. Time, as shown by the inner workings of a clock with its individual gears heaving forth and trapping the players in its relentless grip, becomes a metaphor for life. It is a powerful and intriguing image – a ‘time monster’ that gobbles up both the innocent and the guilty – and it is repeated throughout as the characters spin in and out among the moving parts.
As the last in Synetic’s “Speak No More” trilogy of silent Shakespeare plays, it is a clear departure from the more grisly Othello and Macbeth that preceded it. So it is refreshing when in place of the clash of swords the only sound the audience hears echoing off the back seats are kisses. There are kisses of endearment from the Nanny to Juliet, Juliet’s father Lord Capulet to her, and Friar Laurence who plants a paternal kiss on Romeo’s pate. And yes, you can hear each one. But the kisses and lovemaking between Romeo and Juliet are the most unforgettably electrifying exchanges.
In a radical interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic tale, Synetic explores the physicality and raw emotionality of Romeo and Juliet’s love. At their first meeting they mirror each other’s emotions, swaying together as they fluidly synch their movements.
With flashing spotlights alternating from all sides of the stage, we witness the lovers arriving in their bedchamber after their wedding vows. The scene progresses to a single-beamed and scrim-silhouetted vignette of a languorous and erotic danse d’amour. Director Paata Tsikurishvili opts to play up the lovers’ passions, drawing the audience in with the use of sensuality and playfulness. Yet ever present are the insinuating gears, twisting and turning, screeching and clacking, marking time for the fated lovers.
When Ryan Sellers makes his entrance as the villainous Tybalt, using arrogance and swagger, he transforms the masked ball scene in the second act from one of merriment and celebration to one of impending danger and we see the tension between the families arise as Lord Capulet steps in to put an end to his fight with Romeo.
The street scene in which the Nurse (played by the enchantingly feisty Irina Tsikurishvili) goes to deliver a message to Romeo and meets up with Mercutio is also fraught with raw sexuality. Phillip Fletcher (Mercutio) comes off as a delicious scoundrel in a lengthy battle between the sexes. But she gives as good as she gets and his abuse is trumped in a complex fight scene between the two with the Nurse coming out on top with a wink and a nod to women power.
The gorgeous Fredericksburg, VA actor Alex Mills brings a sexy vitality to the role of Romeo in perfect counterbalance to the exquisite Natalie Berk as Juliet, who embodies the quintessence of innocence with her delicate lithesome grace. To support the dancers with powerful background music Sound Designer Irakli Kavsadze interweaves mesmerizing electronica and waltzes along with Gregorian chants to transition scenes from violence to passion.
If you’ve never seen Synetic Theater’s productions, and apparently there are a few who haven’t, don’t miss this one.
Through December 23rd at Synetic Theater, 1800 South Bell Street, Arlington, VA in Crystal City – For tickets and information call 1 800 494-8497 or visit www.synetictheater.org.
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