Virus-like stories are contagious. In the brain, in the blood, they mutate and change. Tragedy becomes comedy. The drama becomes a myth. And with Anne Washburn’s foresight and Wakkadou, “Mr. Burns, Post-Electric Play” Revived by Hudson Valley Shakespeare FestivalThe episode of “The Simpsons” becomes an opera, which is a way to take into account everything that post-apocalyptic society has lost.
After a catastrophic transmission and the associated nuclear meltdown, America’s population has probably dropped to one million, and perhaps half. In the very near future, in the first act set up somewhere in the northeast, several survivors gathered around what should be a campfire (did the fire department allow it?). Or one particular story, like this night. In summary, they splice jokes with the events of “Cape Fear,” the season five episode of “The Simpsons.”
Recalling the sideshow, Bob’s prosperity and Homer’s ridiculous behavior connect them to a lost world in a way they feel tolerable. Real memories are too painful. Memories of TV shows are something they can manage in an era when television is no longer functioning. In Act 2, the memories of these scatter shots were recreated in a review. Set decades later with the music of composer Michael Freedman, the fully sung Act III transforms them even further.
“Mr. Burns” made his debut at the Woolley Mammoth Theater in Washington in May 2012 before moving to playwright Horizons. September 11th was more vibrant in the cultural memory of 10 years ago. One passage contains an unforgettable reference to the two towers of light. However, the pandemic has created new cataclysms to absorb. A timely selection of “Burns” directed by festival artistic director Davis McCarran. (Are there always new disasters? Does this play always look like a moment? Yes. Probably. Hmm.) About its invention, its cool ruthlessness, why and how to use the story. In cross-examination, it is not aging at all.
In a sense, the festival with sand floors and flashy tents provides an ideal place. From the opening behind the tent, you can see some primeval forest. Even considering the mowed lawn (concessions to picnics and aversion to ticks), it suggests what the landscape would look like if nature were restored. (It might have been even more exciting if the view showed the recently abandoned Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant just below Hudson.) But the play was made for the Prosenium stage and took four minutes. Rather than three seats, McCallum and his designers sometimes struggle to make their actions visible to everyone, especially in the final act.
The acting is uneven and sometimes out of rhythm here, but festival veteran Sean McNull made a great turn as a rookie in his first acting, and Off-Broadway welcome Merit Janson as an actor. Do a sharp and specific job-second manager. Zachary Fine, who is very modest in the first two acts, wins in the third act. During that act, a member of the choir struck the drum straight into my ears.
If you’re still in the area and can book a seat away from the drum, “Mr. Burns.” The reason is: At least as I have experienced, new works of art such as theater, television, movies and fiction have never actually caused a pandemic in the last few years. Sometimes, the more they were in the nose (called “Station Eleven”), the farther they felt.
“Mr. Burns” doesn’t capture exactly, but it captures something else. Over the last two years, when downtime has occurred, I’ve turned to comedy and procedural dramas. This is a show that makes the world regular and easy to understand. “Mr. Burns” explores how we use stories to understand our lives, even seemingly irrelevant stories. “Mr.” Burns “is a play about where we find comfort, and more calmly, about the limits of that comfort, how reality can invade before credits are rolled back. It’s a play about whether there is.
Again, reality could invade outside the city and outdoors. The opening of the show was delayed due to a case of coronavirus during the cast. The audience closest to the actor was asked to wear a mask. Most did. Still, by imagining how societies like us deal with disasters that are far worse than this, and how we can overcome them, we will be ourselves for a while. You may lose. Looking at this, it feels fun, painful, mysterious and strange. In other words, D’Oh.
Post-Electric Play, Mr. Burns
Until September 17th at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival in Garrison, NY. hvshakespeare.org.. Execution time: 2 hours 30 minutes.
