George Demas plays master prestidigitator Harry Houdini in Axis Company world premiere (photo by Dixie Sheridan)
Axis Company
One Sheridan Sq. between West Fourth & Washington Sts.
Thursday – Saturday through April 5, $30-$0, 8:00
212-352-3101
www.axiscompany.org
In 1930, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote of his short-term friend and colleague, “Who was the greatest medium-baiter of modern times? Undoubtedly Houdini. Who was the greatest physical medium of modern times? There are some who would be inclined to give the same answer.” That dichotomy lies at the heart of Nothing on Earth Can Hold Houdini, in which Axis Company artistic director Randy Sharp examines the unusual relationship between magician and mysticism debunker Harry Houdini and spiritualism believer and Sherlock Holmes creator Doyle, brought together by a 1922 contest sponsored by Scientific American to find a true clairvoyant. In the eighty-five-minute one-act play, running at Axis’s home stage at One Sheridan Square through April 5, Doyle (Spencer Aste) and Houdini (George Demas) are essentially seeking the same thing; both men want to contact a dead relative through a medium, Doyle desperate to converse with his beloved son Kingsley, Houdini determined to speak again with his dear mother. But while Doyle is convinced that there is no death, that there is an afterlife, Houdini aggressively seeks to discredit potential fakes, such as Ralph Grimshaw (Brian Linden), who appear to be in the spirit game only for the money and fame. Doyle also believes that Houdini himself has special powers, telling him, “Let us see if you are able to ‘self-liberate’ from the ironclad manacles of disbelief,” while Houdini insists that there is no otherworldly magic to what he does: “I am not a shape shifter, medium spirit contactor, automatic writer, ghost fairy photographer, or anything of that nature,” he tells his mechanist, Jim Collins (David Crabb). To settle their differences, Doyle and Houdini participate in a demonstration in which popular medium Margery “Mina” Crandon (Lynn Mancinelli), with the help of her husband, Leroi (Brian Barnhart), will attempt to prove once and for all that the spirit world exists. “You are a shining example of an enlightened conduit to the beyond,” Doyle pronounces, while Houdini explains, “We shall expose her to the Scientific American League of Shills and Collaborators for all the good it’ll do me.”
Mina Crandon (Lynn Mancinelli) gets in the Margery Box while attempting to contact the great beyond (photo by Dixie Sheridan)
Demas has a ball as Houdini, the pompous, conflicted mama’s boy in a ratty old jacket and pathetic shoes, sporting a hairstyle that is nearly a character unto itself, and Aste is solid as the dapper Doyle. But Sharp, who created an intoxicating atmosphere for her previous Axis production, the postapocalyptic Last Man Club, never achieves much of a flow with Nothing on Earth, which is constrained by a disjointed narrative and sudden, confusing plot jumps. Too many elements get lost in the dark, leaving the audience to fill in the gaps. But individual scenes excel, making Nothing on Earth a mixed bag of tricks.
(The March 29 performance will be followed by a Q&A with members of the cast and crew and historical consultant William Kalush, author of The Secret Life of Houdini and executive director of the Conjuring Arts Research Center on West Thirtieth St.)
When one thinks of Alfred Hitchcock, such psychological thrillers as North by Northwest, Psycho, Vertigo, Notorious, and Rear Window come to mind, not The Manxman, Easy Virtue, The Pleasure Garden, and The Farmer’s Wife. But it is these early, British silent films that are the focus of Film Forum’s “The Hitchcock 9,” which is part of the larger series “The Complete Hitchcock,” consisting of every other picture Sir Alfred made, including those abovementioned films. The dual festival features DCP restorations of nine romantic melodramas made by the Master of Suspense, each one with live musical accompaniment by pianist Steve Sterner. The series continues with 1927’s The Ring, a tantalizing tale of a love triangle set in the world of boxing, a favorite sport of Hitchcock’s. When Bob Corby (Ian Hunter) shows up at a county fair and takes a liking to Mabel (Lillian Hall-Davis), who sells tickets to see her fiance, “One-Round” Jack Sander (Carl Brisson), battle all comers for a cash prize, Corby decides to get in the ring with Sander to impress Mabel; little do they know that Corby is a professional. Soon the two men are also fighting outside the ring, to win the heart of their beloved. Comic relief is supplied by Gordon Harker as Jack’s trainer, who makes some very funny faces throughout. One can see Hitchcock’s visual style emerging in The Ring, as he employs little dialogue in favor of dramatic montages, ghostly superimpositions, and shadowy lighting. The intriguing work, produced at Elstree Studios and the first film to be released by Gainsborough Pictures, also deals with issues of class and financial success, themes that will become prevalent in much of Hitchcock’s oeuvre.
A companion piece to 2008’s multilayered The Wrestler, in which a rejuvenated Mickey Rourke plays an aging athlete trying to regain control of his body and his life while attempting to reestablish a connection with his daughter, Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan is an even more complex psychological study of just how far the mind and body can go to get what it wants and needs. Natalie Portman stars as Nina Sayers, a member of a Manhattan-based ballet company who is vying for the lead role in a new production of Tchaikovsky’s classic 1877 ballet, Swan Lake, the tragic tale of a princess transformed into a white swan who must find true human love to be released, complicated by an evil magician, a black swan rival, and a handsome prince. Nina lives a sheltered existence dominated by her failed-ballerina mother, Erica (Barbara Hershey), squeezed into a cramped New York City apartment and not allowed to have a social life. Womanizing choreographer Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) is convinced that Nina can dance the white swan but has severe doubts that she has it within her to dance the black swan, even after selecting her to replace former prima ballerina Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder). Desperate to bring out Nina’s dark side, Leroy creates a competition between her and free-spirited dancer Lily (Mila Kunis), a sexy, tattooed young dancer who lives life on the edge. As opening night approaches, Nina must reach deep inside herself if she is to attain her dream, leaving all her fears and insecurities behind.
