During the summer, I volunteer at a summer camp for children with disabilities. I serve as part of the Activities staff, a group that arranges activities and performances for the campers. We meet several times a year to discuss themes for activities, and sometimes we get a bit silly. If someone comes up with an idea that seems hilarious to us, but we know would not translate well to anyone who didn’t understand the inside joke, we describe the idea with four simple words: “High concept, low payoff.”
On Saturday night, I saw a production of Adam of the Apes: A Farcical Fusion of Evolution and Creationism! at Haberdasher Theatre Inc. (website here), and I was strongly reminded of our camp catchphrase: “High concept, low payoff.” Written by New York City playwright Oliver Thrun and directed by Joshua M. Feder, Adam of the Apes has a fascinating premise. It desperately wants to be an irreverent, edgy play, but it falls just short of “edgy” and lands uncomfortably in the land of “predictable.”
Adam of the Apes is a play that combines Evolution and Creationism. The premise is as follows: Adam and Eve are the first human beings, a pair of twins born to a chimp mother. As an adult, Adam begins questioning his existence and the origin of their species. His pondering starts a spark of religious fervor among the chimp community, who all begin to worship a supreme being called the Super Chimp…all, that is, but his fanatical feminist sister Eve. A battle of the sexes breaks out among the male chimps and the female chimps (led by Eve), while Adam is the voice of reason to try to make peace among the warring factions and find common ground.
It’s an inventive idea, and one that I believe would receive my grandmother’s seal of approval. (A devout Catholic, Grandma has stated that she believes in both Creationism and Evolution: “God created the universe and through His will, caused evolution to happen. The end.” I would like to print that statement, have her sign it, and then fax it to every politician in our government…but I digress.) Unfortunately, an interesting premise can’t make up for predictable jokes, which this show had in spades.
There were a lot of strange, anachronistic references to Scientologists, Prince William, and elementary schools in Kansas, to name a few. I understood why those jokes were there; the play was commenting on a very modern conflict. But these jokes called attention to themselves like Hermione Granger raising her hand and waiting to be called on during Potions class, far too eager to be praised for their cleverness. I also couldn’t get away from the fact that this play was supposed to take place in ancient times. Why would the characters make references to Prince William? It doesn’t make sense.
The most egregious of these “clever” jokes takes place near the end of the play. Adam and Eve discuss the possibilities of procreating and have the following conversation (paraphrased):
EVE: You said our babies would be retarded.
ME: (to myself) George W. Bush joke in three…two…
ADAM: But then they could still grow up to be president!
ME: Sigh.
A joke comparing George W. Bush to someone with mental retardation? I suppose I could be offended on behalf of real people with MR, but I can’t even be bothered. I’m just bored.
I felt that way throughout most of the show. For a play that prides itself on being irreverent and edgy, it tells the story of a rather standard, trite battle of the sexes: the male characters want to oppress the women just because they’re wired that way, while the women resort to violence to defend themselves against the men, and even though the women are reacting to oppression while the men are the ones causing it, their reaction is portrayed as just as bad as as the men’s original oppression.
Also, men always want sex from the ladies, and the ladies won’t give it to them. This idea is somehow presented as “irreverent” and “original,” when in fact, it’s the same sexist hogwash with funnier costumes and face paint to make the actors look like monkeys.
I almost don’t even want to bring up the character of Eve, who is the embodiment of every negative stereotype about feminists: her feminist roots spring from penis envy, she creates a wire-hanger device called the “Abortinator” to rid the world of all men, and tries to seduce her brother Adam to have sex with her so she can get pregnant and then abort those babies. No, really. As written, Eve is a pathetic, insulting caricature from someone who apparently has never met a real feminist and just took copious notes from Bill O’Reilly or Ann Coulter’s anti-feminist rants. Kelsey Moore plays the character with a winking intelligence and charm, and her winning performance is the only thing that keeps Eve from being trite and hateful.
In fact, I thought the cast as a whole was quite strong and elevated the script to another level. As the chimp mother of Adam and Eve, Lindsay Arber injects the show with one of its only human moments, as she realizes how her children came to be conceived. As the embittered chimp father, Matt Giroveanu manages to adequately portray his character’s struggle with fatherhood even amidst the tired, stereotypical jokes. Jenna Sisson and Hollie Elizabeth Klem are energetic and game for anything as two of the female chimps, and Joseph Dale Harris is saddled with an overly long pun on “Elder” and “Eld-her” and still manages to make the joke funny with his sharp delivery. But the standouts were Colin Cramer as Adam and Matt Tester as Chimp #3. Cramer’s performance grew on me as Adam progressed on his journey, turning a typical “straight man” performance into an embittered, cynical man betrayed by his people, and Tester was a delight throughout the entire show, with impeccable comic timing and an infectious energy that made me grin from ear to ear even when I didn’t want to smile.
In short, the acting saved the show, or at least made it palatable when the script slogged. But the last scene of the show had me sit up and take notice, as Adam delivered a bitter diatribe about betrayal, families, and creators. His speech was quickly undercut by Eve making a joke about procreation and Scientologists, but until then, I was intrigued by the promise of a different play. I would love to see a play about Adam and Eve that delves deeply into the issues of parents, children, and how they relate to one another. This play would be filled with dark, irreverent comedy and painful drama. Instead, we have “battle of the sexes” jokes with horndog men and frigid wives.
Adam of the Apes is the case of a brilliant play struggling to break free from the shell of a much more predictable, obvious show. I would love to see a play that explores Adam’s conflict without relying on lazy stereotypes of feminists and people of faith.
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Great review. Absolutely right.
Decent concept for a play, but AWFUL WRITING. May I repeat: AWFUL WRITING.
Speaking of repetition – be prepared for lots of it in this play!
Kelsey Moore was, in fact, EXCEPTIONAL as “EVE” in the face of a horrendous script, and the rest of the cast wasn’t so shabby in creating a theatre experience that doesn’t leave the audience with an enormous plate of “get me out of here” anxiety. Although, contrary to your opinion, I believe Lindsay was not very good as the mother chimp. (Is it possible to over-act in something that requires over-acting?)
Yet, thank you for the agreement overall!
Her last scene may have been overdone, but I also felt it what was the script told her to do, and there was only so much you can do with a monologue that obvious. I thought she did very well with the more emotional scenes. But yes, Kelsey Moore had a difficult task given that her character is arguably the most hatefully-written one in the show, and she managed to make Eve charming despite that.
I agree that play was a poorly written contradiction every line switching back and forth and WAY too long!
The only reason to see it is for the actors all of them are great but would be even better in a well written play.
Yes, I would be eager to see other productions with this company because the cast was truly talented.
I thought the play was really funny, maybe not crazy laugh out loud all the time funny, but the idea behind the whole story was great.
Entire cast is stellar. Way to go.
Was this a play on the movie “Planet” Of The Apes?
Keep ’em coming ! 🙂
I didn’t think of the Planet of the Apes connection.
In fact, given all the “monkey” music playing before the show began, I’m surprised they didn’t include anything from Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off! from The Simpsons. “I hate every ape I see from chimpan-a to chimpan-z…”
One of my acquaintances forced me to goto this show and boy was I surprised!
The writing felt very much like a poorly done community theatre production.
Really I looked around me during the show and people were looking away cringing and texting.
For instance the actor playing Elder was even holding a script!
I have never seen in all my years going to see off off new york theatre an actor doing that.
Very distracting, I felt bad for him the entire time.
I also felt bad for the actress playing Eve, having to say the things she said…
At least she looked beautiful and had great energy. It was a good casting choice to choose someone who has that lovable quality. Because if Eve looked and acted as angry, hateful, and evil as she was written we would have hated her the entire time. I was offended at first with the writing of her character. But I could feel that the actress knew this as well, somehow she convinced me it was okay and I got to follow along with her joy. Btw she was hot!
Thirdly, I felt very bad for the actor playing Adam. As he was flabby, and I could feel his uncomfortableness with wearing next to nothing. He played his one intelligent gay thing the entire time. While he was a relief because he also seemed just as frustrated as the audience with how bad the show is. And I definitely needed those moments to be able to pay attention to the show. But it was just so mediocre I never went along with him anywhere.
I thought the british monkey was hilarious, even though I didn’t understand why he was there in the first place. Which I think makes him a little brilliant. He really did look like one of those clapping monkeys made into human form. The determination of new york Father monkey was also good.
The blonde pretty monkey and her friend were very attentive and I believed in their ignorance the entire time. They both seemed like girls who hang out at the mall made into monkeys.
I guess I’m like everybody else in that I thought the actors were the show.
They seemed to work like a team. Except for the Mother, it was strange to me she was always yelling at the top of her lungs and seemed to be in an entirely different play. The snake I almost forgot about because he wasn’t in the play but 5 minutes. However his lack of shoes seemed odd to me, and I stared at his suit/shoeless combo for most of that.
All in all a very confusing misogynistic play. Written by someone who doesn’t know what kind of play they wanted to write. Long. And just not worth your money.
Most of your comment made me laugh out loud, but I think calling Adam “flabby” is a little harsh. He’s a skinny guy with slight love handles.
I thought the british monkey was hilarious, even though I didn’t understand why he was there in the first place.
I had the same thought and wrote in my notes, “Why is one of the monkeys English?” Then I remembered to check my program and saw that the actor is actually English, not just doing a really good accent. So that was my moment of dumb when watching the show. Considering the subject of the play, it seemed weird that only one of them had an English accent, but his was my favorite performance of the show, so I decided not to care.
Except for the Mother, it was strange to me she was always yelling at the top of her lungs and seemed to be in an entirely different play.
The only part where I thought she yelled too much was near the end when she has to deliver that speech about eating the apples. But I thought she, even more than Kelsey Moore as Eve, was given a pretty thankless task. In a show that had a mostly snide tone throughout, she was expected to deliver emotional moments that were completely unearned in the script.
Because if Eve looked and acted as angry, hateful, and evil as she was written we would have hated her the entire time.
I think the part that annoyed me most was when she called Adam a “pussy,” and when he tried to call her one in response, she smugly said, “YOU’RE not allowed to say that.” For some reason that offended me even more than all the abortion jokes.
Brittney,
I would like to quote you,excuse me ahem,
“All in all a very confusing misogynistic play. Written by someone who doesn’t know what kind of play they wanted to write.”
What kind of feminist do you want to be by commenting, with most description, the actors’ bodies? Might I suggest you get your head out of your own, probably flabby-esque butt and listen to the words. How dare you, make it your job to internalize other people’s bodies and their own comfort with them. Everyone needs to respect and love their bodies, shame on you.
Maybe next time you go see a show you’ll take some aderol and flipping focus. I wouldn’t trust your 2 cents even if you offered me 2 cent in exchange.
Congratulations to the cast. You all are clearly very talented and have deep resources and respect for your craft. Thank you for trying your best. I think the cast was a success.
Peace out Britney, hope to not ever run in to you at any show.
I agree with your general point that we shouldn’t be critical of other people’s bodies, but you contradict your own point when you imply that Brittany has a “flabby-esque butt.” That’s like saying, “You shouldn’t make fun of fat people, besides, you’re probably fat yourself, you dumb fatty!”
Also, I’m not sure why you needed to be so dismissive of the very real needs of people who might actually have to take Adderall – such as, people with ADHD – in order to make your point.