Two Crazed Booths Guilty of Lincoln’s Murder in ‘Moon’: Review
"An Error of the Moon"
Carol Rosegg/Jim Randolph PR via Bloomberg
Andrew Veenstra, left, and Erik Heger as John Wilkes Booth and his brother Edwin, in "An Error of the Moon" in New York. The new play, by Luigi Creatore, runs through Oct. 10 in Manhattan.
Andrew Veenstra, left, and Erik Heger as John Wilkes Booth and his brother Edwin, in "An Error of the Moon" in New York. The new play, by Luigi Creatore, runs through Oct. 10 in Manhattan. Photographer: Carol Rosegg/Jim Randolph PR via Bloomberg
"An Error of the Moon"
Carol Rosegg/Jim Randolph PR via Bloomberg
Erik Heger and Margaret Copeland in "An Error of the Moon" in New York. The play is directed by Kim Weild.
Erik Heger and Margaret Copeland in "An Error of the Moon" in New York. The play is directed by Kim Weild. Photographer: Carol Rosegg/Jim Randolph PR via Bloomberg
Luigi Creatore, previously a writer of small-potatoes comedies, raises the stakes in “An Error of the Moon,” a speculative drama about the relationship between the great 19th-century actor Edwin Booth and his murderous and less-talented brother, John Wilkes Booth.
In Creatore’s play, running in New York, Edwin is almost as guilty of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln as John. After all, he failed to squelch John’s wild plan -- just as he had previously failed to save his brother from other nutty, if less homicidal, behavior.
Offered as motivation is Edwin’s love-hate for his brother. He’s tormented by the persistent, baseless and demented notion that John may have had an affair with his wife, the actress Mary Devlin Booth.
Their father, Junius Brutus Booth, was called “the Mad Tragedian,” and the play implies that all actors are at least somewhat unhinged. An exception is Mary, depicted as an angel unjustly brutalized by a crazed spouse.
This scenario, with abundant references to Shakespeare’s Othello and Iago, might have been viable in other hands. Creatore gives us a dogged, but flat-footed effort unconvincing even on its own sketchy terms.
Men Mad
There is some spotty relief, especially bits of Shakespeare that, like the title itself (taken from a remark by the Moor of Venice to the effect that the moon’s error is to “make men mad”), fall like benisons on our ears.
A protracted fencing scene devised by the estimable Rick Sordelet is of passing interest. Steven Capone’s scenery plays jauntily loose with perspective. Charles Foster’s versatile lighting is enhanced by C. Andrew Bauer’s jazzy projections.
What does, however, intensify the doldrums is Erik Heger’s earnest and sedulous but charmless performance as Edwin. Andrew Veenstra’s John Wilkes comes off better, perhaps for having less to do. Margaret Copeland is convincing as Mary, who sometimes appears onstage as a projection of her husband’s deluded brain.
Whether Kim Weild’s direction could have done more with this material is hard to determine. This “Moon” is misbegotten.
Through Oct. 10 at the Beckett Theatre, 410 W. 42nd St. Information: +1-212-239-6200; http://www.telecharge.com Rating: *
What the Stars Mean: **** Do Not Miss *** Excellent ** Good * Poor (No stars) Worthless
(John Simon is the New York drama critic for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)
To contact the writer of this column: John Simon in New York at jis1925@aol.com.
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