Preview Thoughts on Angel Reapers

I don't know much about the Shaker religious movement, but I do know that I find Martha Clarke's work odd and intriguing (for the most part).  I also know that I enjoy playwright Alfred Uhry's work.  So when the Signature Theatre announced they would be doing Clarke and Uhry's 2011 piece Angel Reapers as part of Clarke's residency, I thought 'what the heck?'  I also generally enjoy works about religious ideas and why they do or don't work for people.  My ticket was for last night - the show doesn't open until Monday, so I'll just offer a few thoughts.  I guess there will be some spoilers.

The production takes place in one of the smaller spaces at the Pershing Square Signature Center and it has been brilliantly designed to look like the inside of a Shaker house of worship.  The walls and floors are of smooth, light, bleached wood and the chairs are of the simple and elegant style associated with Shaker design.  Once the show starts, a door is pulled closed at the theater entrance and you're completely enclosed in the space.  At first, you feel a sense of peace and serenity as the actors sit in quiet reflection.  Suddenly, one of the actors starts to laugh.  It's infectious, and everyone starts to laugh; at first, you smile along, then it gets uncomfortable as the laughing continues, louder and stronger, then you see that there is a hysteria present and building, which will then manifest itself in religious fervor. 

The Shakers were known for their ecstatic dancing, stomping, singing and shaking during their services.  They were also known for their many rules and rituals and for strict celibacy.  We see all of these things throughout the 75-minute dance/music/theater piece - it seems more of an episodic showing of the arc of the movement rather than a theatrical examination of the Shakers (the Signature website refers to the piece as a 'theatrical collage').  We see much religious fervor, exemplified by the thrilling ritualistic movement and dancing, but then there's a turning point and we see the kinks in the system and how demands of the flesh often take over what the mind might want. 



photo credit: Michael J Lutch

All of the performers are completely committed and terrific - it's amazing to see such peace and serenity on performers' faces and it doesn't seem false or smug.  The light that emanates from them, especially Sally Murphy as Mother Ann Lee, the originator of the Shaker movement, is quite astounding.  Then when things start to turn and the puzzled sadness that we see alongside the serenity is very touching.  Murphy also has a spectacular singing voice that does more than justice to the Shaker spirituals that are performed a cappella throughout.  The set, as I've already mentioned, is wonderful and so is the lighting design.  Often, the lights above the stage would dim and everyone would be illuminated by light coming in from the set's window, which would cause gorgeous shadows that danced along with the actors.  The choreography was also so specific and interesting - there was one duet between two men that just was sort of mind-boggling in its difficulty while looking so simple, plus the storytelling in that duet was maybe the best of the evening.

Having said all that, I found maybe the first half hour to 45 minutes of Angel Reapers to be rather thrilling and compelling at times, but my mind started to wander and I started to think things were happening for shock or gratuitous purposes rather than dramaturgical purposes.  So even though I found the dance/movement exciting, the singing very atmospheric and true, and the story provocative, ultimately I was put off by the relentlessness of the piece as a whole.  Maybe that was the intent, though.  I just don't know.  I'm kind of glad I saw it, nonetheless.  I've been doing some googling today for more information about the Shakers, and it has been really interesting.  So I can appreciate Angel Reapers for that, most definitely.  Whether or not I can recommend the show as a whole, is another question...