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REVIEWS

L.A. Weekly ("GO")

Friedrich Durrenmatt’s 1956 The Visit is a tale of revenge, malevolence, deadly intentions, a familiar image of the mephitic, cynical times of a morally bankrupt world. In this humorous adaptation by John Wuchte, there is no pretension of higher, humane values; the story involves a wealthy woman (played with venomous, seductive élan by Terra Shelman), who returns with a simple plan to the town she left 17 years ago, disgraced and impregnated by Alfred (Scot Young). She spreads around her wealth liberally in order to convince the avaricious townsfolk to kill Alfred — a plan that takes many twists and turns. Notwithstanding an ambiguous finale, Wuchte’s fine production and excellent adaptation imbues a sardonic, comic coloring to this otherwise bleak tale of revenge by adding some flawless choreography. Gone is Durrenmatt’s moral indignation, which Wuchte spins into satire like a gyroscope that just keeps whirling and humming with glee.

-- Lovell Estell III
©2006 L.A. Weekly

L.A. Times

The Sacred Fools rush in, as the saying goes, with a brash, fearless and playfully unconventional staging in "Claire Z.," a gesture-based adaptation of the 1956 Friedrich Durrenmatt chestnut, "The Visit."

Through a combination of interpretive movement and updated dialogue, creator-director John Wuchte mines inventively stylish fun from Durrenmatt's allegorical tale of a fabulously wealthy widow who returns to the now-impoverished hometown that once spurned her.

An energetic cast depicts the Hobson's choice facing the desperate — and greedy — villagers when Claire Zachanassian (imperious, flinty Terra Shelman) offers to bail them out of their financial straits. Naturally, there's a catch: Claire wants them to execute her former lover, Alfred (Scot Young), who got her pregnant and abandoned her.

Now an upstanding shopkeeper slated to become the town's next mayor, Alfred sinks into paranoia as his neighbors cycle through predictable levels of hypocrisy about Claire's offer.

Wuchte's staging flourishes include an eclectic original score (by Maksim Velichkin), which draws on '60s pop tunes, and bright, whimsical costumes by Janét Vincent Lee.

While the show sports some fine performances (particularly from Shelman and Young), Wuchte is working primarily with actors, not movement specialists, and the gesture work is inevitably less expressive and precise as a result.

The emphasis on physical storytelling also sacrifices some of the depth and complexity in the original dialogue. Along the way, the staging conceit runs out of steam before the play runs out of plot.

-- Philip Brandes
©2006 L.A. Times