Politix:Showbiz on the Powerbiz

Critiqued by Holly Bartges

Ah, election year, a notorious year for ballooned promises that either explode from too much hot air, or sail with schizophrenic zig to their zag when let go before being secured. It’s a game, an expected one to be endured offering a built in hay day for comedians and playwrights. Some hold truth in their pocket with sharp cutting lines to allow the enduring an appreciated safe place to fall.

Photo L-R: Nick Ortix-Trammell, Amanda Goldrick, Rhoni Hirst and Guillermo A. Gomez Photo Credit: Wade Wood

However, the same standards applied to over blown political promises must also be applied to those who choose the political year as their target.

If the Denver Victorian Playhouse’s current production Politix on the Powerbiz, an election year musical revue were a film, most of it would end up on the cutting room floor.

Written, directed, and choreographed by Janet DeRuvo, Politix promises to “take you through an election year tackling what’s really happening in the world of politics, from image making to in-house office issues.” If it held its promise, it would definitely be a not-to-miss show. Somewhere along the line its promise got tangled amongst unsecured schizophrenic balloons.

The outline makes sense, but the execution of the outline takes the show all over the face of several decades creating great confusion.

Featuring Amada Goldrick, Guillermo A. Gomez, Rhoni Hirst, and Nick Ortiz-Trammell, Politix grinds from song to song way too slowly. There are even moments when the four actors appear to be uncertain what to do next. The difference between a great choreographer and a mediocre one comes in applying dance steps to the ability of the dancers. Some outstanding dancers can’t leap their way out of paper bag, but turn them lose in other modes and they knock the socks off. If a dancer has difficulty with some steps, there are all kinds of options: replace him/her, take him/her out of that particular dance, or have that particular him/her do something else. Asking him/her to do things he/she can’t do makes it look as though the dancer has forgotten the routine. The onus isn’t on the shoulders of the dancer. It’s on the choreographer. The choreography had problems from the beginning: too elementary, little or no synchronization, and very little heart and soul from the dancers. It is a truth, one can tell in 10 seconds of the opening of a show if a cast has chemistry, and if the cast is having the time of their life performing. The eyes reflect truth, and in this case the eyes reflected uncertainly. Every single cast member contains a magnificent strong voice proven by their solos, but as a group the voices didn’t blend, and it didn’t appear as though they were even trying. They could have, and they should have, but they didn’t.

Incorporating tunes from George Gershwin, Steven Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Cole Porter with Evita, Chicago, Urinetown, Will Rogers Follies, and Miss Saigon came across as a forced joke rather than a brilliant concept, and an excuse for not having to write any more music. I nearly choked with the intrusion of Cool Water and Home on the Range. Was that supposed to be funny? What’s the connection between the Clinton’s and Hey Big Spender that would be so different from any other presidential candidate? I can think of several songs more appropriate, though perhaps not politically correct. Music director, Patrice Leblanc’s keyboard provided a disgruntled “tinnyness”, and her participation with the four appeared as though she worked against the cast instead of with them.

The cast is comprised of four strong actors, some with more experience than others, but they all deserve a better platform. It’s astonishing what a great director can do with experienced and inexperienced actors by knowing what and how to ask. These four gave as though nothing was being asked. They deserve better.

The red, white, and blue set designed by Wade P. Wood screams Rah, Rah, Rah, which is perfect for a political journey. It’s unfortunate the journey could never quite decide where it should start, much less where it wanted to go. It had the feel of “let’s start here. No, let’s start over here, or better yet…….”

The most interesting aspect with the production was hearing recordings of real speeches from F.D.R. John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon before the production began and during Intermission.

Politix has no zest, no zeal, no energy, no togetherness, and aside from an outline that doesn’t get transferred onto the boards, no direction.

The tribute to Herbert Hoover gave false hope to the production coming together, even though it doesn’t appear until the middle of Act II, but the revue immediately fell back into County Mediocre. In a mediocre production one always clings to hope that suddenly the show snaps to life in sync even to the last song. One has to have something to live for. Les Miserables’ powerful Red, White, and Blue song sends chills every time it is heard, but this time it got creamed into curdled heartbreak.

Don’t bother. The Denver Victorian Playhouse will survive. It has three years of strong awesome productions under its belt and a promising season ahead leaving one chomping at the bit. Every one of us knows what it means to survive a disaster. The Vic is no exception. She’s a strong Grand Dame.

Politix: Showbiz on the Powerbiz

Written and Directed By Janet DeRuvo