The opening performance for Will Eno’s Tragedy: A Tragedy, directed by Ann Klautsch adds a unique honor to an already special night. Stage II, the Boise State Theatre Arts Department’s performance space, is renamed tonight.
It is now officially christened the Danny Peterson Theatre in memory of the great actor, friend and human being, one that Boise’s theatre community lost unexpectedly in July.
Richard Kl
autsch writes:
"Danny Peterson was one of the most loved and revered theatre artists throughout the entire state of Idaho.
He was a brilliant comedian, a character actor of the highest order, and a lifelong student of theatre.
He loved doing theatre more than anyone I have ever met…and no matter how we nickname the space (the “Peterson”, the “Danny P”, the “Danny”), our days in here will always be a little brighter knowing that his spirit, and our memory of him, will never fade."
The audience for this unique performance is primarily Danny’s friends, family and colleagues who can spend an evening remembering him in a theatre that now shares his name. It is an understatement to say that we will miss this inspirational actor and jovial person who helped start the Idaho Shakespeare Festival. Though naming a theatre after Danny P. cannot ease the blow for those who love him, celebrating his life this way might help us forever remember him for all the sweetness and artistry Danny Peterson stood for. And it may help us keep aiming for the same.
As for the performance itself, Tragedy: A Tragedy is in fact a hysterically absurd comedy, one where the sun has set for good and set for good. In this perpetual state of night, only the end of the world is in clear view. Even worse than this imminent apocalypse, we learn about it from a painfully verbose and scholarly news team who only use their immense vocabulary to effectively avoid reporting what is going on.
Will Eno offers a slick satire about how worthless multiple-syllabic words and problematic language can be. News-less news from media anchors and analysts is worse than futile; it does drastic harm when key information studiously gets turned into misinformation. Tragedy clips along in the spirit of a Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. short story as if Mel Brooks and Saturday Night Live also got to collaborate.
Boise State Theatre Arts’ production compares to a live action political cartoon, especially thanks to W.J. Langley scenic design that could have been pulled right off an New Yorker illustration or Peanuts comic strip. The performances
fall right in that two-dimensional line, leaning toward stereotypical with over-the-top acting choices that help make the play a riot. Ann Klautsch’s Tragedy turns subversive politics into great fun, so we can exhaust ourselves laughing about how poorly this news team deals with corruption, a tyrannical governor and the end of days itself. Before we know it, the issues sink in deep and we are ready to take action. Seems like good theatre tactics to me.
Tragedy: A Tragedy is still running through next weekend at the Danny Peterson Theatre in the Morrison Center.
You can catch it October 8-11 at 7:30 pm and October 12 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are free for BSU students with ID, $15 General Admission and $12 for non-BSU students.
