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August 29, 2014
Review: Revolution in the Elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter

imageRevolution in the Elbow of Ragnar Agnarsson Furniture Painter, originally a concept album, has manifested in a sensational staging featuring Tony award-winning cast and crew members.  Minetta Lane Theatre presents the world premiere of this truly international show, which opened August 13th, with development beginning in Iceland and culminating in this Off-Broadway production.

Ragnar Agnarsson appears to be an unremarkable man, but, unbeknownst to him, Agnarsson’s body is home to microcosmic civilizations. Among them is a quiet village whose origins unfold during the ensemble’s opening number, “The Legacy of Elbowville.”

Marrick Smith ardently leads the cast as the delightfully despicable Peter, one of three brothers who navigate desire and power while the stability of their small world experiences the helplessness of economic and moral crises.

Kate Shindle (Wonderland, Legally Blonde) delivers a tenacious effort as the show’s morally sound everywoman, Asrun. Shindle has a memorable belt-off with Tony award winner Cady Huffman (The Producers) who fiercely plays Mayor Manuela, precariously cradling the fate of Elbowville in the crook of her fashionably styled arms. Huffman’s costumes stand out as much as her brief yet engaging moments under the spotlight.

Hrafnhildur Arnardóttir and Edda Guđmundsdóttir crafted retrofuturistic, subepidermal couture, abiding by the bile and blood inspired color scheme and the anarcho-steampunk aesthetic found in everything onstage, from Huffman’s caged dress to the pipes presumably pumping Agnarsson’s blood to Petr Hlousek’s dancing projections.

There is, however, an undeniable distraction from the spectacle of the show: the libretto. The plot is a Frankenstein-stitched body of parables that the cast performs with committed gusto. The admittedly expository dialogue serves as the overstretched connective tissue between the musculature of the show: it’s score. Backed by the rocking Revolutionary Cellular Orchestra, Revolution’s unyielding ensemble is the heartbeat of the production, coursing through two acts with convincing voracity.

While the weight of the words may be lost in translation, Ívar Páll Jónsson’s musical brainchild engages the famously imaginative spirit of Icelandic pop culture, known for its progressive arts and for music as playful as the Scandinavian accent marks in the language. Revolution’s score appeals across the spectrum of Icelandic indie artists, seething in the shadows of the dark and dreamy Sigur Rós while exhibiting the catchy accessibility of English-language indie folksters, Of Monsters and Men. Revolution is a bold, imaginative show that is accessible to musical theatre lovers and top 40 fans alike and shares a familiar story of how drastically life can change in the blink of an eye or the scratch of an elbow.

Through September 20 at the Minetta Lane Theatre.

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Written by: Kait Burrier
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