Spring Break
'Variations' a unique, cerebral experience
Deborah Yarchun
Issue date: 1/13/06 Section: Entertainment
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The object of the love in this play is as enigmatic as the mysterious theme of Elgar's piece - never present but always somehow there. In the play, small-town journalist Eric Larsen has been granted a rare interview with Nobel Prize-winning author Abel Znorko. Znorko, who lives in seclusion on his private island, has just published a novel featuring his fifteen-year correspondence with a secret love. He begins an investigation into the nature of the relationship questioning whether or not the woman was real, who she was and ultimately discovering the greater unrealized connection between Larsen and Znorko.
I came to this piece unfamiliar with the playwright and his repertoire. As it began, I felt I was looking at this play from a distance despite the intimate theatre. Instead of being involved, I felt like I was listening to a philosophy lesson imparted by Znorko to an ever curious Eric Larsen - lofty, verbose and utterly pretentious. I was held to my seat only by the awareness that each character held some ulterior motive. After about twenty minutes, the first powerful plot twist hit - hard. At the moment of the first reveal, I was thrust into the show. The loftiness became incredibly human, and the wait was well worth the ride.
The rest of the evening became variations on a reveal with each new pertinent piece of information thrusting us into a whole different perspective on the play, often accompanied by a collective audience gasp. It was at this point that the intimate theatrical environment contributed to the piece. With a full audience this play became a less isolated and more shared experience, particularly during these times.
Although these moments may have been worth the entirety of the evening, there were some that were genuinely overwritten. Often verbose, this recently written work had a classic feel. This may have resulted from the origin of French writer Eric Emmanuelle Schmitt and a clear case of philosopher-turned-playwright, which may have led to aspects of his characters representing ideas. Although he filled much of the time with lengthy speeches, most were well written and downright quotable.
One must admire the stamina required of the actors to support a wordy two-character play. In this production, lines that may have clunked from their weight were lifted lightly and carried realistically by actor Tom Markus. Fellow actor Craig Bockhorn was believable as investigative journalist Eric Larsen, capturing moments of desperation beautifully and portraying difficult twisty moments with sincerity.
Despite strong acting, however, it's difficult to feel for the characters unless one relates to their situation. Znorko, although later redeemed, is unbearably pretentious. He remains interesting only by his ulterior motive: He's a man who would just as soon shoot at you from his window only to offer you a cup of tea when you survived. Although we're sucked into their situation, when the characters visibly grieve onstage, the play skims between the tragic and the melodramatic. Despite the difficulty in the character's likability, the melodramatic factor is partly due to the American convention where outright emotive tears onstage have diminished in acceptability. Whatever the case may be, I found myself as drawn away during these moments as I was during some of Znorko's extensive pontifications.
As Elgar's mysterious theme has been debated ever since, similarly, there are elements in Schmitt's play that may also be debated for years to come. This isn't a play for everyone. It's not a light evening of theatre. It forces one to be involved, and stay with it and think. If you're into a cerebral experience, it can be a powerful one.
Enigma Variations will run at The Walnut Street Theatre until Jan. 22.
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Stage
4/5 Triangles
Enigma Varations
Tom Markus, Craig Bockhom
Walnut Street Theatre
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