Seven years later, America seems ready for a “theatrical conversation” about the Columbine massacre.
The reviews are in, and PJ Paparelli’s “columbinus” was lauded as an “exposé of the cultural and personal pathologies that gave rise to the horrific events in Littleton in 1999” by The New York Times’ Charles Isherwood after Monday’s opening at the New York Theatre Workshop.
“The grim ecosphere of the average American high school is analyzed with sympathy and precision … in a new play that exudes earnestness,” Isherwood wrote. Associated Press chief drama critic Michael Kuchwara added, “there’s no denying its devastating emotional impact.” And the Star-Ledger’s Michael Sommers called the play “an unnerving study in adolescent angst,” one that “relentlessly paints a bold picture that bears witnessing.”
Paparelli created “columbinus” over three years with members of his U.S. Theatre Workshop in Washington, D.C. The team came to Denver in 2004 for research, interviews and an intensive workshop with members of the Curious Theatre Company. The fictionalized first act is an anonymous, universal portrait of high-school life; the second a re-enactment of the massacre based on research, interviews and the killers’ diaries. That’s what turned off some who attended the then work-in-progress here.
Distance clearly benefits the project but does not solve all its problems. Kuchwara says the play “builds to an almost unbearable suspense for an ending that the audience knows will come. And when it does, the moment is shattering.” But as were many in Denver, Isherwood was troubled by the documentary approach to the massacre. Is that theater or merely true-crime drama performed live?
Though Papparelli always has said providing answers was never his goal, Isherwood docks him for not illuminating new views on the tangle of psychological and cultural factors behind the killings.
“As you sit grimly listening to the actual 911 call made by a terrified teacher from the school library, or listen to the actors describe in chilling detail the violent deaths of a dozen teenagers, you may begin to question whether the aesthetic or intellectual rewards of this enterprise are sufficient to justify the use of intimate details about the suffering and deaths of real people,” Isherwood wrote. “It’s a question also raised by the movie ‘United 93.”‘
Newsday’s Linda Winer was blunter. She called the play well-done but old news. “Is there anything a semi-fictionalized docudrama can teach through live theater that hasn’t been numbed into a drone by TV documentaries, books, news analyses, tabloid exploitations and Gus van Sant’s 2003 film, ‘Elephant’? Afraid not.”
Added Isherwood: “The phenomenon we confront in these little monsters, it seems to me, is one neither journalism nor theater can analyze with satisfaction. It’s the problem of evil. Better to leave that one to philosophers.”
Briefly
Denver native Martin Moran is back on Broadway after a four-year absence, playing a funny Sir Robin in the hit musical “Spamalot.” Moran spent most of his hiatus writing and performing his memoir “The Tricky Part,” about his recovery from sexual abuse as a Denver teen …
Fresh from its four-week stint in London, the LIDA Project will present the new incarnation of its “Manson Family Values,” now featuring a cast of five women, at 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at the Bug Theatre, 3654 Navajo St. (303-282-0466). Then it’s off to Austin, Texas, for shows June 2-10 …
The Colorado Theatre Guild’s popular “Theatre Night Out” series sends theatergoers to a different play the third Friday of every month for six months. This year’s program beginning July 21 offers a choice of two plays each month (starting with PHAMALy’s “The Wiz” or the Arvada Center’s “The Full Monty”). The cost is $100, a bargain at $16.67 per show (on your own, “The Full Monty” runs you up to $45). Call 303-778-7724 …
“Beyond Therapy” is a hit for the Avenue. It’s been extended through Aug. 5, though Amie Mackenzie and Chris Boeckx will replace Elgin Kelley and Josh Hartwell on June 16 …
This week’s Denver Post “Running Lines” online podcast features Patrick Cassidy, star of the national touring production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (playing at the Buell through June 4), talking about his memories performing at the Elitch Theatre. Listen at denverpost.com/theater.
Theater critic John Moore can be reached at 303-820-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com.
