There’s No Business Like Snow Business

Not since Blue Man Group fused avant-garde art with sophisticated commercial comedy has there been a show that combines intellectual content and side-splitting humor so adeptly as Slava’s Snowshow. An international hit that has played 80 cities worldwide over the past decade, this extraordinary clown show has finally come to New York. Small wonder that it has done so well internationally: There is no recognizable language spoken during the entire production, except the language of laughter.

But this is no mere exercise in physical shtick; there are stretches of contemplative poignancy (think Chaplin), and not every gag leads to guffaws. The seriousness underneath the comedy easily carries you along until the next big explosion of hilarity. The piece begins with the sad, avuncular-looking Slava coming out on stage with a noose around his neck. Intending to hang himself, he keeps pulling on the other end of the rope until it reveals a clown at the other end with a noose around his neck, as well. When Slava discovers that he’s not alone in his misery, the rope comes off and the fun begins.

There are, in fact, a handful of other clowns who join Slava in this production, and they take no prisoners in their comic onslaught. The audience gets walked upon, rained upon, and covered in gauze. Words to the wise: Don’t wear any clothing that can be damaged by water, and do wear shoes with a grip. Also, you should try to get seats in the orchestra of the Union Square Theater, because that’s where most of the action involving the audience — and there’s a lot of it — seems to take place.

There are many ways to access the comedy in this show. For instance, the two of us found one scene incredibly funny for entirely different reasons — the scene in which Slava emerges with three arrows piercing his body. To musical accompaniment, he spends several minutes playing out the longest death scene in theatrical history. Barbara thought it hilarious that he couldn’t die because the arrows sticking out of his body made it impossible for him to find a comfortable way to lie down and expire; meanwhile, Scott was laughing his guts out because of the sheer audacity of the scene. And we both loved the inventiveness of Slava’s physical comedy as he swirled, dipped, and did everything but die.

The wistful message of Slava’s Snowshow is that we go through a tumultuous journey in our lives, full of all sorts of unexpected travail that, seen in another light, is comical; but if you can survive the blizzard that life hurls at you, there is joy to be felt when the storm is through. In one of the most thrilling examples of inclusive theater we have ever experienced, Slava provides a snowstorm via a jet engine that blows bits of white paper at the audience. After the storm, huge balloons come sailing overhead and are bounced throughout the audience. Adults become children. You may not notice it but, at this point in the show, Slava appears at the rear of the theater and unobtrusively strolls down an aisle to sit and contentedly watch the happiness he has created.

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Always a Bridesmaid

A feisty Australian company called Hair of the Dog has opened up shop at the Ohio Theatre in Soho, offering three shows in repertory. We caught the first one, Secret Bridesmaids’ Business by Elisabeth Coleman — and, despite its flaws, our appetites have been whetted to see the other two.

The Bridesmaid show begins on the night before the big wedding of a woman named Meg. Preparing for the event in a hotel room, Meg (Tamara Lovatt-Smith), her mother (Victoria Roberts), and two bridesmaids, Lucy (Jen Apostolou) and Angela (Deb Crisford), provide a gleeful satire of wedding detail obsession; the ongoing bit about the bridesmaids’ matching shoes is priceless. Soon, however, the plot takes a turn: Lucy has chanced upon the information that Meg’s intended, James (Jeremy Waters), has been having a longtime affair with one of Meg’s friends. Should she tell Meg before the big day and spoil the wedding or keep the information to herself? This part of the plot tends to bog down the play, and the laughs here are few and far between.

No one is credited as the set designer — which is another way of saying, “Don’t blame me.” This is a rather shoddy looking hotel room with a lamp placed stage right that obscures the sightlines for audience members seated in the extreme left section of the house. Gary Schwartz’s direction of the show is lackluster, though the spotlit monologues during which each character speaks directly to the audience are effective. (Adam Rivera is the lighting designer). The cast is uneven, but there are two standouts. Victoria Roberts gives a delicious performance as the mother, nicely splitting the difference between cliché and character. And take notice of Tamara Lovatt-Smith! It’s not apparent at first, but in the course of this slight comedy, she emerges as a wonderfully complete actress with more than a whiff of Kathleen Turner’s deep voice and full-bodied sexiness. Watch her as she sits at an imaginary makeup mirror and you will see a real actress at work.

In addition to Secret Bridesmaids’ Business, Hair of the Dog is also presenting rotating performances of The John Wayne Principle and putting on a late night show called Men.

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A Filtered Kent

The big, expensive cabaret rooms are starting their new seasons this month; the first one out of the gate is the Oak Room, with Stacey Kent stepping up to the microphone for a full month. The Algonquin Hotel, where this famous venue is located, had a facelift over the summer, so the Oak Room now has a glossy shimmer. There is also a new chef on the premises, and anybody who’s ever eaten here will be thrilled at this news. Now, there is good music and good food to be had at this venerable nightspot.

The program of Kent’s gentle jazz show is made up entirely of standards, and her musical selections could not be more to our taste. She and a four piece band led by her husband, saxophonist Jim Tomlinson, never stray too far from these classic melodies — but neither do they stay entirely true to them. In our opinion, the two strongest numbers in the show are ballads that are performed simply and directly. In particular, Kent’s rendition of “What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life?” is a knockout.

In the end, what really sells the show is Kent’s adorable personality. She’s so genuine on stage, so unposed — unlike some other current female jazz stars — that her presence is as fresh as her singing style. There’s sort of an odd dynamic between Kent and Tomlinson, insofar as she’s always so warm and adoring in performance and he’s so aloof and cool. But, hey, he’s a jazz musician — and he has plenty of sax appeal, too.

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[To contact the Siegels directly, e-mail them at siegels@theatermania.com.]