A musical with Shakespearean verse set to bluegrass, country and gospel may seem like a battle of conflicting artistic expressions. And yet, the twangs of guitar and banjo merge seamlessly with Shakespeare’s love sonnets in “Atlanta’s” story of war and poetry.
Set during the American Civil War, the play follows a Yankee soldier, Paul, who assumes the identity of a Confederate soldier in order to survive in enemy territory.
Paul joins a troop of slaves, Hamlet, Cleo and Puck, who recite Shakespearean scenes and sonnets for lunatic Colonel Medraut, and the power of poetry becomes a dominant theme.
Having found nothing worth fighting for in his own past, Paul thrills in reading the love letters found in the jacket pocket of the Confederate soldier he killed.
The letters are from a woman named Atlanta, who the audience meets only through her writings. For much of the first act, she is cleverly shrouded by the lighting scheme, but despite this effect, Atlanta remains vividly present throughout the play; the bits of soul infused in her letters drive Paul through the horrors of war.
In “Atlanta,” poetry serves as a vehicle for expression, inspiration and love, and writers Marcus Hummon and Adrian Pasdar apply the poetry motif to these universal themes, racism in particular.
For the troop of slaves, poetry is their means of escape. In one scene, the action freezes on stage, and only Cleo and Hamlet break free, dancing with each other in a dream made hazy by splotches of primary colors on an electronic screen stretched against the backdrop.
The set falters somewhat with this electronic screen, which punctuates battle scenes with black-and-white photos of Civil War soldiers ““ blank faces staring into a camera or bodies strewn across a field. The stark realism of the photos, especially in contrast with the rich velvet and romantic draping of the Shakespearean players’ costumes, reminds the audience that they are watching merely a story, and this prevents the play from making its final leap from the stage.
The screen, however, does provide a flexibility in the play’s settings. With only a few tortured trees framed by beaten Confederate and Union flags, the stage transforms from a forest to a stained-glass windowed church in a matter of seconds.
The minimal set pieces also allow the audience to focus on the performers, and, as an ensemble piece, “Atlanta” brings several characters to the forefront. Paul’s unsure, latent passion, Cleo’s sensitive strength, Hamlet’s nobility, the light-footed flourishes of gender-confused Puck, and the Colonel’s voice ragged with whiskey shine against the melodies of the musicians. The musicians are also wisely situated on a platform upstage, providing an interesting visual as well as audible entertainment.
““ Colleen Koestner
E-mail Koestner at ckoestner@media.ucla.edu.