Karamazovs Play On... But Alyosha's Gone

 

by Dennis Williamson

 

The Flying Karamazovs were at the Flynn Theatre in Burlington, Vt., in late April, and I had a chance to see the show and get an interview with Ivan and Smerdyakov.

 

Perhaps the biggest news is that Alyosha's sabbatical is permanent. As Ivan noted, "...this is his third retirement." He pointed out that Alyosha has a good job in the computer industry that he really enjoys, as well as three children. So his retirement seems permanent.

 

Will Smerdyakov be leaving also? I asked him about his plans. He is staying for now, but says that he could go it alone should he want to.

 

When I asked Ivan about the new show, he said they dropped everything from the old show because if they repeated any of it at all they got the response of, "Oh no! They're doing all the same old stuff!" It includes more interaction between Ivan and Smerdyakov, and it shows. Previously, Smerdyakov was an underdog personality with a Freudian wit. Now, however, he has a larger role, and in some skits he is the protagonist.

On the show itself... One skit ended with some fine balancing by Fyodor using bottles, trays and candle stick holders. Another skit involved many dangerous objects and ended in a humorous fashion with all the Brothers being killed.

You can't say enough about the "Jazz" segment of club passing. The Karamazovs were hot in Burlington. Dimitri made save after incredible save and Ivan made numerous long distance throws from almost off stage. Fyodor made a number of foot kick passes and Smerdyakov was hilarous about his "powers" as the middle "feedee."

 

"The Gamble," where audience members volunteer three objects for juggling, came down to an ice skate, a slinky and a glob of "goop." The champ, Ivan, initially got off six throws without modifying the objects. Amazingly, as these things happen, the slinky got away from Ivan while he was getting the feel of it and some of it was cut off on the skate blade Smerdyakov was holding nearby. Ivan used some of the goop to hold the slinky together and then got 11 throws successfully.

 

The finale of the evening was a rap song worthy of a top ten hit. The high-tech musical accompaniment went as follows: Dimitri, using clubs, played the electronic bass on sound pads. Smerdyakov, also using clubs, played electronic drums and cymbals mounted on his back. Ivan played tonal electrodes on his body using one to three balls. And Fyodor, force bouncing three balls, played a large floor-mounted keyboard. It sounded very fine!