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Play Is A Romp Bach In Time
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Published: March 31, 2008
Updated:
TAMPA - What do you get when you combine three Georgs, three Johanns, one dead composer and a fugue? Answer: "Bach at Leipzig." Itamar Moses' brilliant and hilarious brainchild is at the Gorilla Theatre through April 13 and should not be missed.
It is June 22, 1722, and Georg Balthasar Schott (Steve Garland) refuses Johann Friedrich Fasch (Steve Mountan) entry to the Thomaskirche, where renowned composer Johann Kunhaur is performing. When Schott does finally open the church doors, the full, rich sound of organ music bursts forth, only to end abruptly with a distinct thump and the flat tone of depressed keys. The two composers rush into the sanctuary and find Kunhaur dead. Schott deftly sums up the unfortunate situation: "The man performed his own dirge with his face."
Seeking An Organ Transplant
Kunhaur's death precedes pandemonium when four more composers come to Thomaskirche to jockey for the newly open, coveted post. The place is now silly with Georgs and Johanns - three of each, to be exact.
Repeatedly denied acceptance to the Thomasschul as a child, Schott wants to be master to prove he's not a loser. The progressive Fasch hopes the position will help him modify Germany's Lutheran-influenced liturgies. Georg Lenck (Alvin Jenkins), who is too poor to have a middle name that distinguishes him from other Georgs, needs the job to pay off his gambling debts. Young lothario Johann Martin Steindorff (Kyle Porter) prefers dance to music, but he's got to please his wealthy daddy. Johann Christoph Graupner (Dan Khoury) is convinced he deserves the post, considering he's the second greatest organist in Germany. And it's unclear what motivates Georg Friedrich Kaufmann (C. David Frankel), the "unbelievably credulous fool."
They all connive and collude, hoping to knock off at least one contender to improve their odds. Johann bribes Johann, Georg blackmails Georg. The Johanns trip up the Georgs and the Georgs ambush the Johanns. None are above lying, cheating, stealing or philandering to get their way. But when the "Greatest Organist in Germany" (Cliff Pressley) shows up, followed by Johann (of course) Sebastian Bach, all bets are off.
If It Ain't Baroque ...
The play is based on historical fact. A number of composers really did vie for the position of organ master at Leipzig's prestigious Thomaskirche in 1722. Bach was there and he did get the job.
Moses liked "the idea of an organist contest where one of the guys says: 'Hello. I'm Bach. Good luck.'" With the greatest of wit, he turned the real setting into a fugue-like construction. Each character stands alone and recites a letter to the audience. The monologues eventually collide and overlap, reaching a harmonious crescendo by the final act. In between, the dialogue is outrageously clever and filled with droll, irreverent wordplay.
Scott Isert directed a superb ensemble cast with pitch-perfect comedic timing. All of the actors were terrific, and Garland gave an especially stellar performance as sourpuss Herr Schott. Joe Winskye's choreographed fight scenes were as good as any Chaplin film. The well-placed music almost became its own character, as evident in the first act when Kunhaur drops dead. Even Jennifer Cunningham's historically accurate costume designs facilitated the production's slapstick humor; the actors' wigs kept falling off. Intentional or not, the "malfunction" was a nice finishing touch to a gleeful romp through time.
ON STAGE
"Bach at Leipzig"
WHEN: through April 13; 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday
WHERE: Gorilla Theatre, 4419 N. Hubert Ave., Tampa
HOW MUCH: $20 to $25, depending on date of performance; (813) 879-2914; www.gorillatheatre.com
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