YOU’LL WANT TO SEE THIS
CLOVER AND CLOVER AGAIN
There’s a wonderful new show playing at the Cinegrill Theater at the gorgeous Hollywood Roosevelt that is not so easy to shoehorn into a simple definition. It’s burlesque, immersive theater, cabaret, dance show, nightclub and more. The name of the show, Crimson & Clover, comes from one of the many phenomenal numbers from the soundtrack of this most enjoyable phantasmagoria. Mentioning drug usage was taboo in sixties songs, so listeners likened Tommy James & The Shondells 1968 “Crimson & Clover” to what it feels like to have a romantic or sexual infatuation when aided by a powerful hallucinogen like LSD, psilocybin mushrooms or MDMA. (James said that crimson was his favorite color and the clover his favorite flower; there was no hidden meaning). So I have to tip my hat to creator/director Tracy Phillips. This dreamy show is indeed romantic, and I absolutely felt like I just experienced a druggy little trip with no bad side effects or hangover.
You know, Cirque du Soleil always claims there’s a story behind their shows, but trying to figure it out can be as difficult as paying seven bucks for a bottle of water when you find out they don’t have drinking fountains. The story here is the same situation, except I was more than happy to imbibe one of THE most delicious martinis I have ever had. The inspiration for this evening of wonderment is expressionist dancer Anita Berber, played at my performance by the very busy pro Amy Ryerson (West Side Story on Broadway, 2009).
The awesome Weimar-era music that played before the show and at intermission informs us the context is 1920s Berlin, which was home to the most progressive and subversive artistic scene in Europe. Into this whirling creative atmosphere there came Anita Berber, who defied convention, tested the limits of artistic expression, and shattered the norms of acceptable behavior — which was my takeaway from Crimson & Clover. And as with her life, the show burns with a furious heat, drawing you into a vortex as intoxicating as rose petals soaked in ether.
Openly bisexual and positively fearless, Berber was a woman whose voracious appetite for expression intoxicated, and some say destroyed, those who came within her orbit (she was known to carry a live monkey and a huge stash of cocaine around her neck). A one-woman rebellion against a stiff German patriarchy, her renegade spirit brought to Germany naked dancing, public exhibitionism, untethered bi-sexuality, and kink domination — and it is these types of acts you’ll see.
But not just on the stage. Surrounded by gorgeous ever-changing lighting, libidinous performers in a vast array of sexy styles slither, slink, slam, and slave, creating dramatic, erotic, powerfully unique work from various playing areas, including ramps that are situated right in front of patrons in the intimate, tiered room. As I munched on the Soppressata Pizza (chili-flake, wildflower honey and fresh ricotta) and the well-stocked Cheese & Charcuterie plate, an awesome aerial act took place so close to me that I was tempted to offer some of my marcona almonds and cured meat. But there was no way I was giving up my Absinthe-based shooter served in a syringe, the Heroine’s Pail, which I shared with the couples on either side of me, one gay and one straight, who were positively spellbound.
What drives the abstract narrative is an astoundingly curated soundtrack, which includes Billy Swan’s super-sensual “Don’t Be Cruel,” Tom Waits’ “Temptation” (representing Berber’s soul), and Harry Nilsson’s “One” (after Berber’s antics became passé, she became — according to the biography The Seven Addictions and Five Professions of Anita Berbera — “carrion soul that even the hyenas ignored,” dying in 1928 at the age of 29). Know that this highly recommended outing is really designed to be entertaining whether you’re following the subtle story or not.
The cast includes Eric Schloesser as Berber’s husband of one year, Sebastian Droste (who also passed at 29) and Brianna Pavon as her lover, manager and secretary. The ensemble includes Hannah Johnson, Billy Mustapha, Iyana Monet, and Cole Neville.
photos by Zak Agha
Crimson & Clover
Tableau Productions
Cinegrill Theater at the Hollywood Roosevelt
every Sat at 8:45 (doors at 8pm)
95 minutes with intermission
for tickets ($49 – $129), visit Tableau (food and drinks available for purchase)
