Williamstown Theatre Festival, Williamstown, MA
through August 21, 2018
by Mary Fernandez-Sierra
A sumptuous world premiere musical performs at Williamstown
Theatre in Lempicka, based on the life of Polish art deco artist Tamara de
Lempicka.
Spanning the Russian Revolution, Parisian high life between
the World Wars, and the decadent underworld of bar rooms and brothel folk, this
musical tells the tale of one woman’s journey from destitute refugee to rising
star of the art world.
From ensemble to leads, each performer in this production is
outstanding, and the voices and musical numbers, even if one is not a fan of
contemporary musicals, are stunning.
In the demanding central role of Lempicka, Eden Espinosa is
superb. Her stage presence, singing and acting carry the show; she is a
phenomenon onstage. Andrew Samonsky playing Tadeusz, Lempicka’s first husband,
is equally brilliant. He strikes just the right blend of displaced aristocrat
and outshone lover, giving as strong a performance as Espinosa. Onstage
together, these two rock the house.
The sultry voice and presence of Carmen Cusack as Rafaela,
Lempicka’s lover, provide a compliment to the main leads. The audience falls
under her sensuous spell as much as Lempicka herself; their number “Stillness”
is magical.
Nathaniel Stampley and Rachel Tucker as the Baron and
Baroness, and Natalie Joy Johnson as Suzi Solidor add strong character
performances and impressive vocals to an already amazing array of onstage
talent.
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| Photo by Carolyn Brown |
Vivid and creative choreography by Raja Feather Kelly ranges
from beautiful stills of the ensemble in painting frames to speakeasy jazz
moves – dance seems to be
everywhere, seamlessly interwoven throughout this show. Extravagant costumes by
Montana Levi Blanco reflect Russian royalty as well as impoverishment, swank Parisian style
and California cool, all in a few hours onstage – truly a visual tour de force.
Scenic design by Riccardo Hernandez reveals artistic genius: one leg of the
Eiffel Tower, and we are in Paris, while doors, divans, platforms and even a
bar room with a huge mirror spin the audience and the performers to many other
settings.
Director Rachel Chavkin has done an amazing and imaginative
job uniting a powerful cast, wieldy musical numbers and dizzying plot into a
coherent and enjoyable if lengthy production (Act I runs one and a half hours.)
Lempicka is a musical on the grand scale; bravo to everyone involved!
