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Listen
Houdini Speed
Freaks [film]
Unconscious
Motives of the Motion Picture Industry |
"The
Trouble With Harry" Under Randy Sharp's direction, the production blends epistolary monologues with Crossfire debating rhythms and often clunky expositional dialogue. Scenes tend to meander–perhaps an unfortunate by-product of collective creation. This problem is widened by a stylistic decision to have characters fumble for words (to articulate the inexplicable). In debates, the sides have to be strongly delineated, so the committed Axis company largely sticks to caricature. Only the flinty Robert Cucuzza (as Houdini) finds enough rabid intensity to give larger stakes to these clashing viewpoints. Listen Houdini works best in the climactic séance scene, when it finally turns from plodding historical biography to conjure—via soundscapes and conscientious ensemble work—those supernatural forces Houdini fears. Crandon, restrained in a special packing crate from the neck down (to ensure no trickery), calls out to other worlds as pale blue lights cast an eerie glow. Houdini's apprehensions at last make some dramatic sense when there's evidence (rather than just talk) of magic onstage. Like the impresario himself, we suddenly find ourselves listening more closely in hopes of discovering new frequencies.
"Escaped
Crusader" It was the stuff of congressional hearings. Harry Houdini was called to Washington to testify about his bete noir—spiritualism. His goal was to completely debunk all mediums as charlatans. Houdini even wagered $5,000 to be forfeited if he couldn't prove eminent medium "Margery" (Mrs. L.R.G. Crandon) or any other of her ilk a fraud. Maybe he didn't like competition. He shouldn't have worried. His was a hard act to follow, after all. Who else could extricate himself from a flour sack inside a trunk wrapped by heavy chains? That scene is part of Randy Sharp's Listen Houdini at the Axis Theater. With great flourish, personal assistant Jim Collins (John Murphy) stuffs and locks Houdini inside Andy Biscontini's period-looking trunk. A blackout and some smoke later, Houdini has sprung himself with nary a sweat bead to show for it. Houdini set out for himself a greater challenge—proving once and for all that Spiritualism was rampant with phonies. That movement was at its height in the early 1920s when the magician began his attack. It would soon collapse, due in part to Houdini's efforts. Scientific American set up an experts committee (including Houdini) to investigate mediums and found them wanting. (By contrast, UFOs are barely given the time of day in today's scientific community.) This show is based on a personal angle—Houdini's friendship with Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Brits have always been suckers for the supernatural, and Doyle was only one more illustrious victim. He touted fake fairy pictures—clever pre-Disney concoctions—as though his life depended on the existence of invisible wee spirits in the woods. Doyle intersected Houdini precisely over Spiritualism's excesses. They exchanged letters and met repeatedly over several years until Houdini engineered a make-or-break test of Margery's psychic powers. Margery failed, and Doyle's gullibility was exposed in the process. Common ground in this remarkable friendship was fast disappearing, and this incident finally closed the door. Author and director Sharp has a keen eye for the theatrical. She sticks to the highlights of the Houdini/Holmes story in his script to keep the running time not much more than an hour. At the center naturally is the Margery scene. For this show, David Ramirez has reconstructed the "Margery Box" that Houdini hoped would disable her fake bells and other tricks. With only hands and head emerging, the medium can't make the magic happen, and Houdini triumphantly drags her from the box. (Margery is unnecessarily cast in drag with B. Barnhart as the medium—is it the ghost of Charles Ludlam, whose Ridiculous Theater was the predecessor of the Axis space, at work?). Sharp takes advantage of Robert Cucuzza's lively stage personality to maintain a spirited mood. As the title character, Cucuzza occasionally spouts excerpts from Houdini's correspondence, but otherwise the trappings of the overused docudrama format are minimal. Only when Cucuzza resorts to ranting and screaming does Sharp's concept crash. As Doyle, Jim Sterling genteelly pontificates on Spiritualism but minus the expected Scottish accent. Rounding out the cast are John Murphy (with Irish accent) as Houdini's valet Jim Collins and David Yezzi playing Mina "Margery" Crandon's doctor husband. Kate Aronsson places the action amid the red curtains of Houdini spectacles. Apart from the boxes, only a few period-looking chairs and table are onstage. Costumes are mostly formal and black for the men (Houdini's jacket is frayed at the edges) and rose for Margery. There is plenty of Houdini material for more shows. Born in Budapest in 1874, Ehrich Weiss–a/k/a Harry Houdini–grew up in Wisconsin with his mother and rabbi father. The film bio created the myth that Houdini drowned during a failed underwater escape stunt. In fact he died in 1926 from appendicitis. He is buried in Queens. His career as magician/entertainer is well known, but Sharp has remedied the lack of attention paid to Houdini's anti-Spiritualism struggle
Creating
Some Magic with "Listen Houdini" Actor Robert Cucuzza, who bears an uncanny resemblance to master magician Harry Houdini, has landed the lead in "Listen Houdini," written and produced by the Axis Company and directed by Randy Sharp. The play, opening this month and running through mid-December, focuses on the later years of Houdini's life, when he was obsessed with a quest to debunk fake mediums. I spoke with Cucuzza about the show, his role, and what Harry Houdini was all about. DS: Tell
me a little about your background. DS: What's
the company's mission? DS: And how
was "Listen Houdini" conceived? DS: Can you
talk about the play's tech? DS: What
did you do to prepare for your role? DS: Do you
have an favorite lines in the piece? DS: What
would you especially like to share with your audience? |
Review
by Tim Griffin Listen Houdini delves into rich historical territory: At the end of Harry Houdini's life, the master of escape went on a personal crusade against hucksterism and supernaturalism, sideshows and sŽances–all of which, in an important sense, shadowed his own craft. While he considers himself a living embodiment of an empirical age, plenty of others thought of him as a mystic under the big tent, a "shape-shifter" who consulted the spirits in order to slip out of handcuffs and straitjackets. In other words, Houdini's is a classic American story, right down to his immigrant roots: a deep mixture of myth, science and celebrity in which a man in the twilight of life faces off with the world around him because, in fact, he is unable to face his innermost psychological demons. (If only Behind the Music had existed in the '20s.) Randy Sharp's short production skims the surface of its subject, as his script provides a kind of abstract sketch of Houdini as a man at odds with himself–he mutters, dashes off notes to his perpetually absent wife, and speaks down to others with a hubris that springs only from personal weakness. For the most part, these actions arise in the course of Houdini's teaming in a road show with spook believer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to debate the idea that someone can communicate with the dead. But the play moves quickly from scene to scene without any narrative hooks working too deeply into the flesh of the plot. Quick and deft maneuvers with lighting schemes allow characters to move seamlessly from public scenes into interior monologues, highlighting, in effect, each individual's personal isolation and desperation. In the telling, however, the subject of mortality typically demands more substance (unless one accepts the intellectual loophole that, even in real life, Houdini and his entourage were characters on a stage and therefore should be treated as paper-thin figures). What the piece lacks in eloquence or depth is made up for in acting. Robert Cucuzza captures Houdini's pathetic side with such relatively spare gestures as a single glare or a raised fist. Jim Sterling's Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is just as good, portraying an upper-class cream puff with the right amount of sympathy and humor. As such, Listen Houdini is a great opportunity to see a company that can do a lot with a little. On the other hand, a tale worthy of Houdini is an opportunity still waiting to be taken.
December
12, 2001 "Break
out the handcuffs, Houdini lives." Robert Cucuzza has Harry Houdini eyes: dark, mysterious and sinister. Appropriately, the actor plays the master magician in Axis Theater Company's compelling, new historical drama, Listen Houdini. Set in the mid-1920s, during the height of Spiritualism in America, the play focuses on Houdini's relationship with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Jim Sterling) and their quest tocommunicate with the dead. Overcome with grief due to the death of his son, Doyle forms an organization to find the world's top mediums. Likewise, Houdini is deeply affected by the passing of his beloved mother. Together, the men obsessively seek proof of life after death. In their quest, they expose tricksters in a field filled with fraud, special effects and theatrical gimmickry. Effectively directed by Randy Sharp, the play enters Houdini and Doyle's world of seances and supernatural occurrences. The production opens as Houdini and his assistant Jim Collins (John Murphy) perform, 'TheMetamorphosis,' one of Houdini's classic quick-escape tricks. Cucuzza and Murphy re-create the complex illusion with the skill of well-trained magicians. The act shows how easily magic can betray the senses. Later such theatrics are exposed when used by "circus fakes and miraclemongers" as a means of connecting with people who have "crossed over." At the core of Listen Houdini is an infamous seance featuring Margery Crandon (B. Barnhart) and her husband (David Yezzi), a prominent Boston surgeon. The final contender for the title of "genuine medium," Margery cleverly persuades Doyle that she can speak with the dead. "We shall never be alone on Earth again," says Doyle after receiving a "message" from his deceased son. "It is the end of death as we know it." Convinced of Margery's abilities, Doyle schedules a meeting between Houdini and the medium. In the play's final scene, Margery–entombed in a "box" devised to prohibit gimmickry–contacts Houdini's mother, speaking in Hungarian and ominously warning her son that his life is in danger. Less than two years later, on Halloween, Houdini died unexpectedly of a ruptured appendix. Performing in front of yards of red velvet curtains, the five-person ensemble expertly tackles their roles. Based on the true events of August 25, 1924, the script tells its accessible, linear story without casting judgment on Doyle's naivete or Houdini's obsession or Margery's alleged talent (for either communicating with the dead or performing theatrics). Ultimately, Listen Houdini imitates the Crandons' goal to entertain rather than enlighten. When asked why mediums require lighting and sound effects, Dr. Crandon replies, "We just want to put on a good show." The same could be said for Axis. One of the city's most innovative theatrical companies, Axis is known for its avant-garde productions. Previous shows– 'Hospital,' 'Woyzeck,' 'Frankenstein' and 'Crave' –utilized impressive multi-media effects. Simply staged, Listen Houdini is a refreshing departure from the group's trademark style. Ironically, this 80-minute show about gimmickry and theatrics lacks the incredible technical effects for which Axis is famous. Instead of the customary bells and whistles, the company relies on the skill of its actors and the strength of the material. It's a gamble–one that magically pays off. |
