The Last Two People on Earth Are Lots of Fun
Mandy Patinkin and Taylor Mac. Photo: Gretjen Helene/Art
Cambridge’s American Repertory Theatre is currently presenting The Last Two People on Earth: An Apocalyptic Vaudeville, a piece which treats seemingly incompatible themes. It is at once an exploration of the mostly American songbook and a foretelling of the horrors of climate change given a Beckettian flavor. The two bowler-hatted characters played by the highly talented performers, Mandy Patinkin and Taylor Mac, could have stepped out of Waiting for Godot to brush up their vaudeville acts. Like Didi and Gogo, they are denizens of an empty world represented by an almost bare stage. Here, a flood has destroyed civilization. Taylor Mac (the characters are nameless) washes up on an island where Patinkin is hiding in a trunk, bringing to mind the show business paean “Born in a Trunk.” The only other set pieces are a lifeboat and a large shattered object upstage.
Unlike Beckett’s characters, they communicate through song and dance. The challenge for the four devisers – musical director Paul Ford, director/choreographer Susan Stroman, and the two actors – was to create a story that would fit mostly pre-existing lyrics. (Taylor Mac composed “Fear” and, with Paul Ford, adapted Eddie Lawrence’s 1950s “The Old Philosopher”). While the songs are entertaining and the vaudeville shtick, which includes custard pie throwing and water spouting from an actor’s ears, evokes nostalgia for a long-gone entertainment, the piece remains devoid of a narrative.
Nonetheless, Taylor Mac and Mandy Patinkin, two very different types of performers, make this a wow of a show. Taylor Mac is best known for his cabaret performances as a drag queen, while Patinkin has had a more traditional career in musical theatre, film, and television. In this production they meld together as wonderful clowns, singers, and movers. Patinkin’s character, particularly at the beginning, is rough, gruff, and despondent in contrast to the more fun-loving clown created by Taylor Mac who virtually glows as if the world in which he finds himself presents opportunities. R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)” is one of the show’s offerings. Upon arrival in the no man’s land, Taylor Mac makes use of an old vaudeville bit that involves pulling a tablecloth and eating utensils out of his trousers, and setting them on the ground with great care as if a feast awaited him.
At the play’s end, both characters row off cheerfully seeking a new world to the tune of “Row, Row Your Boat.” As they come out to take their bows, they are pulled off by that old vaudeville standby, the hook.
Beowulf Boritt emphasized the meta quality of the work by setting it within an elaborately decorated proscenium arch. Inserted upstage was a vivid blue hanging. There was considerable acting space below the proscenium arch.
Director Susan Stroman captured the play’s mood(s); her choreography was entertaining; her timing excellent.
THE LAST TWO PEOPLE ON EARTH: An Apocalyptic Vaudeville
Conceived by Paul Ford, Taylor Mac, Mandy Patinkin, and Susan Stroman
Directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman
Music Design by Paul Ford
Scene Design by Beowulf Boritt
Costume Design by William Ivey Long
Lighting Design by Ken Billington
Sound Design by Daniel J. Gerhard
Performers: Mandy Patinkin and Taylor Mac
Presented by American Repertory Theater At: Loeb Drama Center, 64 Brattle St., Cambridge, May 12-31