Joan of Arc: Into the Fire REVIEW

Posted: 2/27/17 at 2:45pm

One of my favorite theater going experiences of the past few years was the Alex Timbers/David Bryne collaboration Here Lies Love...funky, funny, immersive, poignant...it checked off so many boxes for things I look for in the theater,  so I was extremely excited to hear they were working on a new project. And considering Alex's (I believe) groundbreaking work on another show about a historical figure, Bloody, Bloody, Andrew Jackson, my expectations  were high.  Joan of Arc: Into the Fire just doesn't rise to to level of theater that the before mentioned works achieved.

With both Here Lies Love, and Bloody, Bloody, Andrew Jackson there was a unique theatrical perspective that kept each story fresh, Joan doesn't have that which leaves it feeling very stale, trite, even unnecessary (the straightforward telling begs the question, why?). A limp attempt at using microphones to make Joan look like a rockstar falls flat. It's an idea that has been played out in much more effective ways by other famous musicals over the past two decades.  Here it actually feels stolen.  

Another large part of what made Here Lies and Bloody so interesting to me was their edgy comedy that came from the modern observations showing just how far we've come from those pasts (especially in Bloody). Joan has almost no humor.  The lives of these medieval are not commented on at all which is a true missed opportunity. The lack of this kind of humor causes the staging to look amateur and for lack of a word more fitting, cheesy. 

The score by David Bryne is so repetitive it feels like one long song and the banal lyrics don't help create interest or action. Some of Joan's melodies are pretty though....David's sound for Joan is pop folk mixing some gothic rock in there for a hint of darker times.  The sound doesn't make you want to lean in and listen.

The design has promise, but doesn't hit its goal, it feels more l like an idea or thought than an autonomous  world...a wide stairway carved out of dark stone (basically a greek amphitheater) spins to create may perspectives.  There is a hallway that tunnels through the staircase that reveals itself when it rotates half way.  At full rotation reveals two guitar players in different compartments, again with the attempt to make Joan's story one of a rock goddess....lighting tries to do the same.....attempt is the key word here.  It just doesn't make sense because the execution isn't committed to 100 percent. The feeling that THIS HAS BEEN DONE many times before is present....like the creative team themselves knows it and didn't find a more fresh perspective. The costumes are also stuck in this overused idea that modern boots could be solider boots, modern shapes and styles can morph into more medieval...the affect comes off as cheap.

The cast is made up of the gorgeous pop rock voiced Jo Lampert (Joan) and 12 very talented multicultural, varying typed (from hunkier to more character) male actor/singers. Oscar nominee Mare Winningham makes an odd underused appearance at the end of the show for one song. Unfortunately, there is no chosen/decided upon style for the actors so the outcome is untruthful. Jo could have been molded into a wonderful actress, but everything besides her singing voice feels ignored. Mare's turn as Joan's mother becomes the only truth of the night in terms of performance.

The final product reveals a show that wasn't ready for a New York Production, or was a commission that wasn't written with the want or passion to do it in the first place.  It doesn't feel like a labor of love to me which is the main issue here. This could be a good show, at the moment not enough attention to detail has been paid to make it one.

Updated On: 2/27/17 at 02:45 PM

[jbird5]

Posted: 2/28/17 at 12:17am

"The score by David Bryne is so repetitive it feels like one long song and the banal lyrics don't help create interest or action. Some of Joan's melodies are pretty though....David's sound for Joan is pop folk mixing some gothic rock in there for a hint of darker times.  The sound doesn't make you want to lean in and listen."

The only song that stood out for me was the one about the hands. It was ah, David Byrne ...

The rest could have been written by anybody.