THE MANY FACES OF LOVE
Even before you walk into the First Floor Theatre at La Mama to attend Something’s Got Ahold of My Heart, creators Hand2Mouth ensemble are already selling you a 
good time and – for the most part – the company follows through on their sale. The partially-improvised, partially-scripted musical about love and its many manifestations and destinations is prefaced by an optional opportunity for patrons to dedicate love songs to the ones that got away and the ones that should have been chased away. That intro alone is an agreeable beginning to a high-energy, fun show that explores the ins and outs of swooning, even if you may feel like swinging later.
Scenic Designer Jeff Becker ushers in the swooning early with red and white rugs that have kaleidoscopic and psychedelic patterns in them. Visually, you are already feeling the magical effects of love. Add Erin Leddy’s monologues introduced in French, and you’re already in a romantic mood. But the good vibes don’t stop there.
Company Members Julie Hammond, Liz Hayden, Faith Helma, Maesie Speer and guest artist Matthew Dieckman join Leddy to interact with the audience, dance energetically, sing passionately, and present vignettes about the substance of love for the audience’s enjoyment. Though there are too many vignettes packed into the nearly 2-hour show, making a presentation of this genre longer than necessary, the fire that the performers have for this subject comes across crystal clear. Pay close attention and you’ll notice that some of the dialogue is comprised of song lyrics from popular songs by bands like No Doubt. And if that doesn’t make you chuckle (it will), you won’t be able to stop your head from bopping when original songs composed by Helma and Dieckman are performed later in a closing concert.
Structurally, there’s a lot of work going on both on and offstage to get the audience to ponder the nature of love. Under Jonathan Walters’ stylish direction, the company members robe and disrobe, and jump in and out of character, trying to cover all the bases. And while Casi Pacilio’s sound clips are inserted effectively and judiciously, we learn that love is angry, passionate, destructive, vulnerable, melancholic and sometimes even peaceful. With the exception of a gratuitous and ill-placed carnal display of love during the show, Something’s Got Ahold of My Heart does give you a pleasant tour of the emotion.
The performers are all multi-talented, but they shine the brightest during the mini-concert at the end. It is here that their genuine love for music and their affection for each other comes to a head. Accompanied by some awesome drumming by New 
Yorker Matt Bogdanow, the troupe begin to rock out after a quick set and costume change. Though the show may have benefited from better integration of these songs throughout the evening, “Keep it Easy” and “You’re the Only” are two of Helma’s strongest gems.
Despite some R-rated gyrations, too many vignettes and some structural issues, Something’s Got Ahold of My Heart provides a good, nostalgic time, and when it comes to enthusiasm and gusto, may just give some of the locals a run for their money.
photos by Adele Bossard, Jonathan Slaff, and Lee Wexler/Images for Innovation
Something’s Got Ahold of My Heart
Hand2Mouth Theatre at La MaMa E.T.C.
scheduled to end on January 20, 2013
for tickets, visit Ovation Tix
then plays at the Fertile Ground Festival, Portland, January 31 – February 17, 2013
for tickets, visit Ticket Turtle
