The traid of far from star crossed characters runs the full gambit of emotions, desires, and choices which are on full display and in detailed examination between Giogio, Clara, and Fosca in 19th Italy. The historical placing of the this tragedy and revelation forces a more formal and literal approach to the yearnings of the heart, but the frankness and provocativeness of the book is quite modern. The original production created career defining roles for Donna Murphy and Marin Mazzie. There are no catchy Sondheim " smash hits" comparable to shows such as Company, Sweeny Todd, or even Sunday in the Park With George, well maybe Loving You, in this piece. Its all the pieces together with the strong deeply moving melodies that bring you deeper and deeper into this triad's journey of self discovery, heart break, and awakening.
The new production is in a intimate setting with the music ensemble above the audience and the audience on three sides of the stage giving the entire theater a closeness that is both rewarding and pivotal in the interpretation of this show.
As other reviews have revealed the strip down production is what helps makes the music and book shine in this production as this leaves the audience to focus entirely on the performances and the music. John Doyle's direction and design also enhances this great work.
At the time the original 1994 production of Passion was staged it began with Mazzie and Jere Shea naked in bed after making passionate love. In John Doyle's production there is no bed or nakedness but instead we are treated to a modern interpretation of sexual freedom as Clara straddles on top and thrust into Giorgio to deep erotic fulfillment. The imagination plays more at times in this production than does the set but never does the irony of Sondheim's wit and insights as Clara and Giorgio together sing " How quickly pity leads to love" describing the birth of their passion.
Judy Kuhn's entrance as Fosca in I Read is as spellbinding, tender, and calculating as it is outrageous as the audience continually gets multiples glimpses of Fosca's yearnings, passions, and quickly her frustrations as she spews them out onto unprepared Captain Bachetti. Her presence in this show is captivating and is a tour de force and propels it to greatness as you focus on Kuhn at all moments of the show.You do not pity Kuhn's Fosca you stand in awe of her power and quickly empathize with her on some macabre level while being seduced by the beauty of her pursuit of unknown and often dreamed about experiences of romantic love.
Ryan Silverman's Giorgio brings an emotionally vulnerability to the role as he is at times is wholly unprepared for the journey he has embarked on with these two very different women. On one hand not knowing what he truly wants and on the other being totally spontaneous and raw about his emotions and confusions. Silverman is a powerful singer and brings this intensity continually to his performance. He can also fall to his knees or shrivels up on a train seat as he is hurled toward Fosca's light of awakening. Silverman's duality in portraying Giorgio is full of paradoxes that surge between complacency and confusion, to obsessive love and ultimately rage as he sings "Call it what you will, this is not love, this is the reverse like a curse, something out of control,,I've begin to fear for my soul..."
This show moves quickly along and is filled with numerous funny exchanges and sarcasm from the chorus of fellow officers who question and gossip about Fosca and Giorgio's intentions while they whittle away the daily boredom and routine of the lone out post they are station at. The number Soldier's Gossip is both hilarious and full of envy and contempt for Captain Bachetti. Or how they criticize Sergeant Lombardi's, played by Orville Medoza who is excellent and bears an uncanny similarity to Marcus Olson, culinary skills and the lack of green vegetables in their daily meals.This group of singers are quite strong as well.
Tom Nelis is both grandfatherly and a classic manipulator as Doctor Tambourri. A man who is both empathetic to Fosca's plight and a meddler. How quickly he becomes disparately over whelmed when the true passions, he naively nursed along, of Fosca are released.
Stephen Borgardus's Colonel Ricci is full of regret for his role in Fosca's life and welcomes the gentlemanly and noble efforts of friendship from Giorgio, but this eventually leads to shock,dishonor,and tragedy as he can not fathom or even accept what has truly unfolded for his cousin or her role in it.
Understudy Amy Justman was Clara in this afternoon performance and Justman brought a honest sensibility and flirty nature that grew increasingly fleeting as the piece moved on.She has no moral qualms about her arrangement but also displays no regret or rage toward Giorgio when she reaches a self reflective peak on the realization that her true love has now slipped out of her hands . She is both compelling and benign during Farewell Letter as she sings " Oh my love, my sweet, you've changed, I've watched you change,,you're not the man I thought I knew."
She continues to fall back on the happiness of romance as the salvation that can make their love endure but it is already way to late for that as the word nothing fade from her lips.
The ensemble is excellent and I have to note the performance of conductor Greg Jarrett who was amazing as he was subtle on the piano. The lighting was also quite good and enhanced the intimacy of the production.
For the finale two pieces in this performances you are brought to tears by the tenderness,humility, compassion,enlightenment, and gratitude that Fosca has brought to this passion play. Giorgio who is now full of clarity and a closeness to love he has never felt before declares "No one has ever loved as clearly as you. No one has ever shown me what love could be like until now:"
In the Finale this is even push to greater emotional intensity as the soft melody drifts in tainted with bitter sweet sadness this then this transforms into numerous flash backs which quickly transitions into Fosca's letter which she left for Giorgio after her passing. It is simply theatrical perfection and under Doyle's direction he extols the full might of Sondheim's genius in these final minutes.
As we comes to the beautiful and often painful revelation that we are all someone to be loved.Sondheim's message to us, the audience, is with this acceptance of love it is the greatest love of all and after seeing Passion we are grateful to know we have learned it from him.
