My review of HEARTFIELD will be from the
perspective of a member of a 1998 Towson theatre staged reading of this
work.
HEARTFIELD's book, music and lyrics were written by Kenneth Allen Vega. Towson University MFA candidate Kate Chisholm with musical direction by husband Peter Foley direct a strong cast and crew. The musical ran from April 27 - May 7 at the Theatre Project in Baltimore.
The musical HEARTFIELD is about the life of John Heartfield, a passionate German man who developed the art of photomontage . He used the art to fight against Hitler and the Nazi regime. The musical covers many of the major events in his life from 1915 - 1968.
I attended the 2:00 pm matinee production on Saturday May 6th. I attempted to attend this show two other times, but due to a huge traffic jam and the unavailability of parking I arrived at the Forty-Five West Preston St. door of the Theatre Project too late to go in. This time I was determined to get there in plenty of time. The old saying "the third time's a charm" must be true, because to my surprise I arrived downtown at the Baltimore theatre 40 minutes before the curtain was scheduled to go up. With a few extra minutes to catch my breath, I had a chance to go upstairs in the lobby of the theatre and take in some artwork by Baltimore artists. As I was glancing around I spotted a computer workstation set up in corner with a sign encouraging patrons to take a look at a companion website that was developed by TU students. As I sat down I had a nice chat with Mr. Vega. It's not everyday that one has an opportunity to talk with the author of the play prior to viewing it. In the fall of 1998 I had the opportunity to play the role of John Heartfield in director Chisholm's workshop and as the doors to the house opened I was excited to enter and experience the fully staged version of the show.
As I entered the theatre I couldn't help but notice all the empty seats in the house. In comparison to evening performances, matinee shows traditionally have lower attendance numbers. There were only about 12 people in the audience and that included the playwright and his wife. As the seconds ticked by I couldn't help but wonder how the low attendance would affect the performers. I also found myself calculating how much, or should I say how little, the box office receipts would be for this performance. Trying not to worry about these things I shifted my focus to the stage. As the lights went down and the pianist, Peter Foley entered, I couldn't stop asking myself the question, "Where was the audience?"
Being quite familiar with the show, I was curious to see how this piece would be staged and brought to life. A bi-level stage was bare with a piano placed down stage right and a few props on stage left. A large 1920's style painted curtain served as the backdrop for the cabaret style stage. The simple scenic design by Allison Campbell suggested just enough German cabaret for the audience without having them get lost in the awe and wonder of a fantastical set. The musical begins with the character of Bertolt Brecht(Rohaizad Suaidi) addressing the audience. The break between the fourth wall from actor to audience sets the tone and mode of the entire musical which is Brechtian in nature. In real life Bertolt Brecht often used the "alienation effect" as a device to draw attention to the issues. The Brecht technique does not allow the audience to get lost in empathy toward a a character or story. In the opening address Brecht plants seeds of thought and question that will need to be answered by each audience member throughout the entire production. Brecht, who acts as narrator and performer, is joined by the ensemble for a 1920's style opener "Say No to Fascism". After the first few notes were sung I sensed that I was in for a good afternoon of musical theatre, and as the musical progressed I found that my senses were correct.
I was quite impressed with Liza Davies' sexy portrayal of Marlene Dietrich and her role as Gertrude the second wife of John Heartfield. Her strong vocal performance and her maturity as an actress was apparent. One of the most challenging things about this production for the director was the many quick scene changes. Dietrich and Brecht are the key characters who move the show from one scene to the next. The responsibility for scene transitioning was also carried out by the implementation of many visual projections on three screens which are revealed from behind the curtain. Many of the projections were photographs of John Heartfield's photomontage work. Projection Designer Erik Trester utilized the images with skill. The handling and timing of the technical work was carried off with perfection. Each image was right on cue and with each slide came a better understanding of John Heartfield and his work. The Director also chose to give the character Brecht an easel and simple poster board with scene captions written on it to open the scenes. Utilization of the Brechtian staging device was an excellent directing choice.
Heartfield, played by Hal Friedman, had a strong singing voice. His voice had an intense edge well suited the character of John Heartfield. As the play continued, Friedman demonstrated John Heartfield's intensity, consuming passion and determination to use his art to make a difference. His passion was clearly evident as he led the rallying cry in "We Can Change the World." The rest of the cast gave a very fine performance, and I was impressed how Kate had molded them into a believable ensemble despite some definite disparities in the actual ages of the actors (Paul Danaceau was quite a bit older than the rest of the cast). Danaceau's portrayal of John Heartfield's close friend George Grosz was believable. It appeared to me that he was the tough old bird that the younger boys respected and admired. After the first few songs I became quite comfortable with the choices that Kate had made.
As for other production elements, I thought Shannon Maddox's costume designs worked well for the show. The costumes were adequately researched and helped define who the characters were. One of the design choices that I thought was very effective was having Hannah Hoch wear pants. This showed her strength as a woman and as a rebel against the system. HEARTFIELD is anything but a dance musical but Choreographer Nancy Romita made some great choices to make the limited dance numbers believable and accessible. Nancy's choreography in the song "Exiles Tango" was superb and her interpretation of the song was powerfully expressed.
Overall, the production was first-rate and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I still find myself humming the tunes to some of Kenneth Vega's wonderful music masterfully arranged by Peter Foley. Director Chisholm did a fantastic job of blocking and staying true to many of Brecht's theatre practices. Her use of space was phenomenal and was orchestrated with great skill. Most importantly I went away from the HEARTFIELD experience pondering some new questions: "Do I believe in anything so strongly that I would be willing to dedicate my entire life to it? Do I really know what it is to be oppressed? Do I really care for what doesn't affect me?". The only two problematic production areas included the show's running time (over two and a half hours) and the low audience patronage. The lengthy running time made the production seem like a little too much of a good thing. It was such a shame that this exciting new work wasn't better supported by the local theatre community. Perhaps it is the little-known name of the show. I'll admit a little over a year and a half ago I had never heard the name of John Heartfield or the term photomontage. After doing some research I found out how amazing this man was. While forging a new path in art, he greatly influenced the German opposition. It is important for the world to learn the truth and be inspired by a man who followed his passions. Living the life of John Heartfield through Kenneth Vega's musical is a life-changing experience.