What I liked
I love Cooper’s gut-punch of raw emotion. Vocally, her voice filled the Hudson’s Guild perfectly. Some of the music was truly captivating and beautiful. For example, the second and third songs about wanting “More” and the “hope to not live in her home,” were tender ballads. And I admire how Cooper could sing and portray someone who was once told she was vocally “an octave below laryngitis.”
Equally impressive are the projections created by Roger Pavey Jr. Whether it is a brick wall, an image of water with trees in the reflection, railroad tracks, or ambient light, these moving images are an added bonus. It’s special to see video design in Fringe shows.
What I didn't like
For me, where the piece fell short was in the dancing. This performer is a triple threat able to act, sing, and dance. However, when it came to the dancing, it started to look and feel the same. It lost the ability to consistently engage. Perhaps working with a separate choreographer would challenge the performer and take the dancing to different levels.
My overall impression
I came into this show not knowing anything about Shelley Cooper or her compelling work. What I did know was that choosing Lotte Lenya as the person to pay homage to was a most unusual and bold choice. Anytime a performer tackles a real person and aims to tell their story, I tip my proverbial hat to them. And Cooper does not disappoint.
As a musical theatre junky, I knew of this award-winning character actress from Threepenny Opera, but James Bond fans will know her as Spectre agent Rosa Klebb in From Russia With Love. Cooper’s show tackles Lenya’s disturbing childhood and unimaginable survival methods through song, interpretive dance, and conversations she has with husband Kurt Weill.
While Weill wants to cancel opening night of the show, Lenya convinces him that she must play Jenny Driver. Echoing these sentiments, Cooper’s passion proved to me that she must play Lenya in Rag Doll on a Bomb Site.
