![\"Marc](\"http:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/org_img_1519419899_L-DW8A9212_1-211.jpg\")
<\/a>Marc Antolin and Daisy Maywood. Photo by Steve Tanner.<\/p><\/div>\n
Since Mr. X and I had missed Valentine\u2019s Day (because I couldn\u2019t leave my non-stop Olympics watching,) we just\u00a0had\u00a0<\/em>to attend opening night of this romantic show, produced by England\u2019s Kneehigh company, who brought us last year\u2019s colorful\u00a0The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips<\/em>. [Note: I begged Mr. X, who writes a zillion times better than moi, to give me his written review, to incorporate into this one, but he declined. Then, at the last minute, he wrote one as\u00a0I\u00a0<\/em>talk, so for fans of my former TV show, I\u2019ll put some of that at the very bottom of this page, after the theatre\u2019s info. But remember–you\u00a0have\u00a0<\/em>to read it as I<\/em> would talk<\/em> it.]<\/p>\n The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk<\/em>\u00a0is\u00a0the story of artist Marc Chagall and his first wife Bella. It\u2019s also a history lesson on the Russian Revolution, (which I\u2019m ashamed to say that, despite my heritage, I know next to nothing about,) and both World Wars, (which I\u2019m also nescient about.) So it was all fascinating to me.<\/p>\n And they get it all done in about an hour and a half, with no intermission. It just moves along from clever visual to even more clever visual. With a few songs and dances along the way. And fabulous performances by Marc Antolin and Daisy Maywood as the flying lovers.<\/p>\n (L-R) Marc Antolin, James Gow, Ian Ross, and Daisy Maywood. Photo by Steve Tanner.<\/p><\/div>\n They were joined by two wonderfully-short-named musicians, James Gow and Ian Ross, usually off to the side but in on the action from time to time, of whom Mr. X said: \u201cThe fine-tuned musicians supplied occasionally lilting, occasionally ethnic, always appropriate, perfectly-balanced background music with various instruments that did not distract from the action, but exactly complemented it. Onstage but unobtrusive, their added dimension helped charge the entire evening into a seamless impressive arrangement. And their musical curtain call was a well-received sweetener.\u201d Wow. I can only add, \u201cWhat\u00a0he<\/em>\u00a0said!\u201d (I\u00a0told<\/em>\u00a0you he was better than I!)<\/p>\n The entire show\u00a0was classy and gentle and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. Since Judaism was a major factor in the lives of the Chagalls, there\u2019s obviously a lot of that in the show. But it never gets annoying and is often charming. (I can use the term \u201cannoying\u201d because, as I\u2019m sure everyone knows by now, I am Jewish, so I\u2019m not maligning my own people\u2014I\u2019m just admitting that a little Yiddish goes a long way.) And\u00a0no one laughed at the wedding scene more than I did!\u00a0 It\u2019s brilliant!\u00a0 If I had seen just those few minutes over and over again all night, it would have been fine with me. That scene got applause on opening night, when no others did just because they all melded into each other. But the wedding dance deserved it; I almost choked with laughter.<\/p>\n Speaking of the marriage, the promos for the show state that \u201cMarc and Bella Chagall are immortalized as having one of the most romantic marriages of the 20th Century.\u201d But I think that they were Mr. X and my<\/em> kind of romantic, because we loved it when\u00a0one of them said to the other, \u201cI want to waste the rest of my life with you.\u201d That\u2019s how we<\/em> talk to each other. And now that we know what to say officially<\/em>, we can finally get married ourselves! (But don\u2019t hold your breath\u2014I don\u2019t believe in that state of being. We\u2019ve<\/em> been together longer than most other show business couples, while attending the same people\u2019s third<\/em> weddings, so I rest my case.)<\/p>\n Photo by Steve Tanner.<\/p><\/div>\n “Over The Town” by Marc Chagall. See what I mean about the poses?<\/p><\/div>\n Getting back to The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk<\/em>, the performances are wonderful, the couple is balanced, they both have beautiful voices, and we already lauded the musicians. So here\u2019s my favorite part of the whole production\u2014Sophia Clist\u2019s interesting raised and tilted set in the middle of the stage, which features uber-ingenious props! They\u2019re sort-of hidden around the smallish wooden-ish set, and the actors bring them each seamlessly into view when needed. And then they\u2019re equally quickly put away.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t have loved the visuals more. And some of the accoutrements are used for the couple to get into poses that are seen in Chagall\u2019s paintings.<\/p>\n Marc Antolin. Photo by Steve Tanner.<\/p><\/div>\n There was only one confusing aspect to the entire shebang. And that\u2019s\u2014why were they in white face the whole time?\u00a0 Marc looked like the son of Marcel Marceau and Charlie Chaplin! I honestly don\u2019t know what they were going for.\u00a0 I asked a few people, and got these suggestions: \u201cPerhaps for lighting purposes, to get those occasional saturated\u00a0Chagall-esque tones to read on their faces.\u201d Hmm. And\u00a0\u201cpossibly to show the beaten down-ness of their lives.\u201d Double hmmm. I meant to ask someone from the company at the opening night fete, but was having such a good time that I forgot. So you guys will just have to figure it out for yourselves. (And, if you do<\/em> have a theory, please share in the Comments section below, until we get to the bottom of it.) [Note: Don’t forget–Mr. X weighs in on the topic, as me<\/em>, in his little blurb beneath the show info.]<\/p>\n For once in my life, there\u2019s nothing more to say. Except\u2014see this show! And try to go with someone you love.<\/p>\n The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk<\/em>\u00a0running through March 11, 2018<\/strong><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>
\n Wallis Annenberg Theater For The Performing Arts<\/strong>
\n 9390 N. Santa Monica Boulevard \u00a0Beverly Hills \u00a0310-746-4000\u00a0\u00a0www.thewallis.org<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n