Maybe they needed more magno
Maybe I got myself a little too excited about this show, my expectations were too high or something. But the prospect of having 7 Stages, an Atlanta theatre that I have rarely seen fail when it comes to new and innovative productions, do a roaming, futuristic, and industrial show that included gimmicks like puppetry and projections seemed like a no fail idea. Like my expectations though, this idea was a bit too large for their britches.
It pains me to say negative things about a theatre company I whole heartedly believe in and one that takes risks. So maybe all of this should remain nameless. The Navigator is a coming of age tale set in a dystopian future. It’s a journey with a happy ending. There is love, and family, and magical powers, and even scary things. There are bad guys and good guys, and a secret. There is a search, there is danger. But there was also a plot that was hard to follow due to the over zealous roaming aspect, and a whole lot of bad acting. Many of the actors I had previously seen in other shows, and they were great, but in this one, it all seemed so contrived, fake, and, well, hokey. It was essentially bad theater, where you don’t have the opportunity to even enter any sort of suspension of believe because you are too caught up in your own head about how mechanical and false the acting is. This production has been in the works for some time now, so it makes me wonder if there was ample rehearsal time, or if this was one of those productions that relies on marketing and not creating a show that lives up to what they are touting.
The one saving grace about this show is that the puppetry aspect was really cool. Maybe that’s where are the effort went. It wasn’t your half-assy hand puppet gig, these “puppets” were larger than life costuming effects that allowed for something in this show to stand out, and coincidentally for the acting of these more bit characters to flourish. There was a giant of a bad guy who lengthened to outstanding heights by the use of stilts and puppet arms. The tree lady with her skeletal wolves were creepy enough to make a small boy in the audience hide behind his brother during that whole scene. These are the moments that stood out and not just because the costuming was beautifully done, but because these were the only moments that held up to what this show was supposed to be.
I was disappointed. But there was a drunk middle aged lady near me who was beyond enthusiastic. So maybe that is what it takes. But go, shake your magno and fight Dementor-esque silent bad guys at The Goat Farm (running till Oct. 13). Maybe you won’t be looking for an escape route the whole time.
