FAIRYTALES OF THE ABSURD
nytheatre.com review by Pamela Liu
August 15, 2002
Director Edward Einhorn warms up the
audience for an evening of absurdity by starting off with Eugene
Ionesco’s To Prepare a Hard Boiled Egg. Delightfully performed by
Peter B. Brown as Man with Egg, this first of three plays comprising
Fairytales of the Absurd details how to hard boil an egg like no
existing Martha Stewart cookbook.Next comes a bittersweet piece, again by Ionesco, about how a loving and very imaginative father fends off his rambunctious daughter’s questions about the breakdown of her family dynamics. Celia Montgomery is very engaging as the narrator, the maid, and the not-so-often-seen mother. Einhorn employs a puppet and actress Uma Incrocci to together play the part of the little girl Josette, which they accomplish very effectively. The result is a roller coaster of actions that is well-timed and cleverly choreographed.
After the intermission, we are treated to an original work written and directed by Einhorn. This fairy tale is about a princess who ends up marrying her second head. The costumes and set are a delight for children. Influenced by Ionesco, Einhorn creates a fairy tale where a witch plays a big part in finding true love for princes and princesses. The story line and the actors are very humorous and appealing to children. On that level, this original work of absurdity is successful. But if One Head Too Many has any political statements to make, they get convoluted by the time King Kustard goes to see the witch. The pacing also starts to lag around there too. But soon after, the resolution gets neatly and of course absurdly wrapped up.
Touted as appropriate for kids 5 – 12 by FringeNYC, Fairytales of the Absurd is a fun, imaginative and playful time for all.
