“Aging small-time con man Augusto, who swindles peasants, works with two
younger men: Roberto, who wants to become the Italian Johnny Ray, and
Bruno, nicknamed Picasso, who has a wife (Iris) and daughter and wants to
paint. Augusto avoids the personal entanglements, spending money at clubs
seeking the good life. His attitude changes when he runs into his own daughter,
Patrizia, whom he rarely sees, and realizes she's now a young woman and in need
of his help to continue her studies. His usual partners are away, so he goes in with
others to run a swindle, and they aren't forgiving when he claims he's given the
money back to their mark. They leave him beaten, robbed, and alone.”

The above synopsis, written by J. Hailey, is from imdb.com.  I’ve “borrowed” it
(and hope that Mr. or Ms. Hailey won’t object) because had I read it before
seeing RushForth Productions world premiere stage adaptation of Federico
Fellini’s 1955 film Il Bidone (The Swindle), my enjoyment of this visually and aurally
dazzling production would have increased considerably.

As it was, I was (to repeat myself) visually and aurally dazzled … yet largely
confused,  rather as if watching an opera in the pre-supertitle era without
having read a plot summary in advance.

Adaptor/director Patrick Mapel states in his director’s notes that while the
original 1955 film (which starred Broderick Crawford, Giulietta Masina, and
Richard Basehart) was not “Felliniesque,” his goal was to create “a spectacle
worthy of the term.” (The Encarta Encyclopedia defines Felliniesque as
“blending reality and fantasy as Federico Fellini does in his movies.”) In his efforts
to make this stage adaptation Felliniesque, Mapel has most definitely
succeeded, the result being a production which Fellini fans will savor, but which
playgoers in search of more traditional fare will most likely appreciate more than
enjoy.

One of the major components of Mapel’s concept was to have the four lead
characters (Augusto, Roberto, Picasso, and Iris) dressed realistically and all the
supporting players dressed in fantasy fashion. A five-actor “chorus,” each of
whom wears circus performer garb (including a French Pierrot) portray the many
supporting characters whom the leads attempt to swindle along the way.

Equally Felliniesque is the gorgeous production design. Janne Larsen’s set reminds
one of both a circus tent and the aging walls of a Italian city, with lanterns
strung from post to post above the action. Fionnagan Murphy’s outstanding
sound design incorporates moody background music, an amalgam of circus and
jazz.  Jeffrey Elias Teeter’s lighting heightens the fantasy imagery, and the
costumes (by Jason Trucco and Kishu Chand) are fantastic indeed.

The script has the artificial quality of an opera's supertitles (I’m assuming this is
deliberate), and the operatic performances are (not surprisingly) pretty far
removed from the realistic acting that today's audiences have come to expect,
though Ralph P. Martin’s Augusto somehow transcends this, becoming both
heightened and real at the same time.  Among the chorus, Alexandra Billings,
fresh from her triumphs in Drood and Twist, is a standout, bringing to life both
female and male characters with her usual panache. The rest of the cast
includes Ben Messmer as Roberto, York Griffith as Picasso, and Sarah Utterback
as Iris, with Andrea Tzvetkov, Michael Dunn, Katharine Brandt, and Dean
Chekvala comprising the chorus.  All do good work within the confines of the
acting style required of them.

Il Bidone is a must-see for Fellini aficionados. Others will have a harder time
“getting” what it's all about, though most should find much to appreciate in the
director's Felliniesque vision.

Bootleg Theatre, 2220 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90057. Through February 24.
Tickets: www.tix.com
Additional information: www.rushforthproductions.com

--Steven Stanley
   January 19, 2008
                                                                     Photos: Chris Frawley