Well, the reviews are trickling in, and so far it looks like 0-3-1! Ouch! Y'know, audience members came up to me saying they enjoyed it; one said it was an "intelligent script". A few people commented on major and minor flaws, but still liked what they saw. So how come only one of the reviewers so far, IMHO, "got it"?
reviewed by Julie Congress
NYTheatre.com
Travis Tanner is a “contemporary oratorio,” and, with nearly two straight hours of original music and a cast of 27 actors, it is an extremely ambitious and highly admirable endeavor.
To be honest, the libretto (by Melanie N. Lee) is somewhat confusing, and my companion and I had rather different takes on exactly what happened. Here’s my understanding of the story: Travis Tanner is a Dennis Miller-esque television comedian who, though once fiercely liberal in his views, has suddenly, and with little explanation, switched to the conservative end of the spectrum after being fired by HBO. This greatly distresses and baffles Leila, a liberal grad student. She becomes obsessed with Tanner, and begins writing her thesis on the puzzling media icon. The majority of the show consists of encounters (possibly imaginary) between Tanner and Leila, Tanner and the chorus, and Leila and the chorus. There’s a third character, a liberal comedian named Jim Frank (who has also been a long-time subject of Leila’s study). In a meeting with Leila, he provides some (unsatisfactory?) speculation about Tanner.
Louis Michael Sacco brings charisma, a strong voice, and just the right amount of sleaziness to Travis Tanner. Unfortunately, his costar, Lauretta, does not have sufficient power or range—either as a singer or an actress—to effectively portray the strong-willed Leila.
The chorus is refreshingly diverse in terms of race, age, and appearance, and contains some tremendous voices. Unfortunately, its large size proves to be a hindrance—when the entire cast is onstage (plus the lively four-person band) there is virtually no room left. Not only does this compromise director DJ McDonald’s attempts at choreography, but there isn’t sufficient room to differentiate one side from another when the chorus breaks itself into the Conservatives and the Liberals. Perhaps if each member of the chorus wore either a piece of blue or red clothing, the problem could be alleviated, but it still wouldn’t solve the space issue.
The music, by Robert Stephens, takes on many different forms, including rock songs, a number in the style of a Broadway musical, and a particularly rousing protest song called “Buck Fush.” Ultimately, however, the songs (other than the one song I mentioned) sound awfully similar to one another, and are rather unmemorable. The libretto, though confusing, fares better. In the second act, Leila reveals that although she is artistic and liberal in her leanings, she is also a devout Christian, and doesn’t feel as if she really belongs to either the Left or Right. This is such an incisive, thought-provoking, and long-overdue sentiment! I really wish Lee had explored this more—it is so important for us to realize that human beings are complicated, contradictory beings and cannot fit into the oversimplified labels the media spews at us. Perhaps Leila’s dilemma of not fitting neatly into a category is shared by Travis Tanner, and is the best explanation behind his switch in alliances. I’m not sure if that’s right, but it is worth exploring.
Travis Tanner may have more than its share of problems, but none of them is irreparable and the folks involved in the production seem particularly receptive to constructive criticism (you’ll find an Audience Member Response Form in the middle of the program). It’s also a show that makes you think, and any theatre that can do that (at least in my books) should be commended and supported.
http://www.nytheatre.com/fringeweb/f05review_10.htm
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Travis Tanner
Soho Playhouse
15 Van Dam Street
Friday at 3
Dubbed "a contemporary oratorio," Melanie N. Lee's unwieldy piece, to music by Robert Stephens played by an onstage quartet, mobilizes 27 performers, all of whom sing, many beautifully. They spill off the tiny stage to march up and down the aisles. They harangue one another. In a climactic scene, heroine Leila Knowles, a black graduate student (played by Lauretta, a performer with only one name), lectures an unfunny comedian; it's hard to know whether she has the hots for him, wants to convert him, or what. "I read your book for Lent," she tells him. He ducks her rant by listening to his cell phone. Lee has a tin ear, and much of her thumpingly pedestrian, rhymed-couplet script rings false even as it seeks spiritual truth. E.Z. (Elizabeth Zimmer)
[Zimmer got a detail wrong: Leila says the "Lent" comment to Jim Frank, not Travis Tanner. Travis ignores Leila with the cell phone in a much later scene. --MNL]
http://www.villagevoice.com/theater/0534,fringe,67115,11.html
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This following one upset me most of all.
56. Travis Tanner
www.oocities.org/travistanner05
Rating: Left after first 15 minutes (of 2 hour show)
Comments to come.
http://www.hyreviews.com/
Now, what is the purpose of being a reviewer if you can't give a show a fair hearing? I e-mailed him saying he was cheating me as a playwright and also cheating his reviewers. He e-mailed back offering to read the script before he wrote and published his review, and I accepted. His full comments should go up in a few days.
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FRINGE-icals: The TEAM!
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Travis Tanner
SHOW TITLE: Travis Tanner
RUNNING TIME: 2h
VENUE: SOHO Playhouse
GENRE: Oratorio (but it seemed like a musical to me...)
AIR CONDITIONED: Yes
INTERMISSION: No
RATING (0-4): 0/2 (I'll explain)
RATING SCALE:
0 Run, don't walk, away from this disaster
1 Proceed with caution
2 Mild summer fare
3 More than just hype
4 Don't miss this one its FRINGE-tastic!
COMMENTS:
I understand that Travis Tanner was attempting to bring back theancient chorus with the 50 people on stage, however they failedmiserably. (Hence the zero for the first hour of the "oratorio." ) The huge entourage for a fringe festival play was completelyunnecessary! The only point in which the "oratorio" seemed coherent was in the second half when Kelvin Ortega got his chance to dominatethe stage. The whole cast and crew should thank him for providingthe few entertaining moments when he sang "Network TV Did Me Wrong"and "Positively, Negatively Me." He should have a one man show. KELVIN YOU DO NOT NEED THIS "ORATORIO!" YOU CAN DO BETTER!
POST-FRINGE PREDICTIONS:
Don't BUCK FUSH, Buck Travis Tanner.
posted by Team Plus at 2:59 PM 1 comments
http://fringe-icals.blogspot.com/2005/08/travis-tanner.html
Now, unlike Zimmer, this reviewer, Lala Jeanlouis, recognized we were trying to accomplish something; unlike Hy Bender, she gave us a full heariing. I call this an honest review, albeit unfavorable, and I thank her for it!
