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Power Play
by Shari Perkins
Deathwatch reviewed August 26, 2009
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Though the powerful can be perverse, those who try to curry favor with the powerful are often even more so. Jean-Paul Sartre considered Jean Genet's Deathwatch to be reiteration of themes explored in the playwright's more famous effort, The Maids. Locked away in a cramped prison cell, two petty criminals vie for the approval of their idol, an illiterate murder by the name of Green Eyes. Genet's poetic thieves and killers conflate power, violence, and masculinity in their battle for dominance, but when one of them finally strikes out to establish his position, he discovers that glory is not so easily obtained.
Aaron Sparks' production, currently running in the Fringe Festival, is billed as the US premiere of David Rudkin's translation of the play. Unfortunately, the lackluster production makes it impossible to judge the quality of Rudkin's rendering. Taking his cue from all-male productions of The Maids, Sparks has cast women in Deathwatch. Though interesting in principle, this concept falters because Sparks' company fails to embody the destructive machismo and barely-concealed homoeroticism which are central to Genet's drama.
Sparks' company also seems hesitant to dive into Genet's dingy underworld. Only Carissa Cordes as Green Eyes projects the hardened, guarded aspect of a prisoner. Meanwhile, the whole cast speaks with a drama-school crispness and uniformity which is inconsistent with the world of the play. Rather than tracing the delicate shifts in alliance which are central to characters' journeys, the cast plows through Genet's poetic text, making the production particularly difficult to follow. Consequently, the ninety-minute show crawls, offering neither entertainment or surprise to the audience; this one is worth passing by.
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The Cherry Pit
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Category: Festival
Written by: Jean Genet, translated by David Rudkin
Directed by: Aaron Sparks
Produced by: The Dialectix Group
Opened: August 14, 2009
Closed: August 29, 2009
Running Time: 90 minutes
Theater: The Cherry Pit
Address: 155 Bank Street, between West and Washington Street
New York, NY 10014
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Tickets: $15.00
TDF, group rates
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Creative Team
Written by: Jean Genet
Translated by: David Rudkin
Directed by: Aaron Sparks
Produced by: Justin Pierret
Light Designer: Dante Olivia Smith
Sound Designer: Aaron Sparks
Set Designer: Mary Hamrick
Costume Designer: Katja Andreiev
Fight Choreographer: Randall Rodriguez
Choreographic Consultant: Sara Greenfield
ACR: Martha Sparks
Tattoo Design: Sabin Calvert
Cast
Carissa Cordes as Green Eyes
Katherine McDonald as LeFranc
Stephanie Smith as Maurice
Alana Williams as The Watch
Crew
Stage Manager: Cathleen Rudolph
Technical Director: Dan Thomson
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