Every
now and again you go in blindly seeing a show. Let the wind take you were it
may. Before seeing Coffee and Biscuit I knew nothing about it besides there
being puppets. As the play progressed and I figured out just exactly what I was
watching, I had a newfound love for this piece. Coffee and Biscuit is a genius
new telling of the Ibsen classic A Doll's House.
Set
in the 1950s against a backdrop of Hoovers and Jell-O, Coffee and Biscuit
follows Nora Helmer on a journey through feminism and gender roles in a
media-influenced society. Oh, and there are puppets. Coffee and Buscuit is
a wildly innovative and spectacular exploration of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s
House through a thought-provoking lens and era. Written by Teresa Ann Virginia
Bayer, Coffee and Biscuit turns the classic right on its head, analyzing the
specific theme of women and presenting a gallant view. The characters from the
source material have gotten a lovely update playing an integral part in Nora’s
journey. The men of Nora’s world are played by puppets operated by women. The
only man on stage is a well dressed man who serves as Nora’s puppet master.
What Bayer does well is gives a fresh approach to an overdone story. By having
an ensemble of strong women operate the male characters, the commentary of
gender roles is even more present and stimulating.
Zoe
Farmingdale gives a tour de force performance, leading the pack as Nora.
Farmingdale brings an airy, innocent quality to the housewife. Bethany Nicole
Taylor brings great character work to Betty, Nora’s best friend. Her balance
between actress and puppeteer is seamless and unrecognizable. Mike Racioppa as
the Man personifies the puppet master idea quite well. He’s presence is subtle
yet impactful. Rounding out the ensemble were Melissa Diane Martin as Harold
the husband, Cindy Kay as Carl the loaner, and Alexandra Gellner as Dr. Smith.
They each brought variety as puppeteer and television ad.
Regardless
of where you lean toward the moral of this piece, the approach by the entire team
takes is remarkable. The manic world that Nora lives in is defined by a
greyscale set designed stunningly by Douglas Clarke. Despite not having a
working television for the performance, the production was near flawless. The
costume design by Alexandra Rozansky was stunning, placing Nora in her grey
world and the rest of the ladies in matching outfits of color. Christina
Watanabe’s lights added an extra boost of color. Watanabe went above and beyond
giving the ladies’ television moments the right feel. The only dramaturgical
question that Coffee and Biscuit was whether the original music by Jay Spriggs
correct. The music Spriggs brought was beautiful and worked well for the mood
of the play but it was the only element of the show that was not in the same
period. The true stars of the show were the puppets. Designed by PuppetFluff
and Bayer, each character truly had it’s own unique identity.
Teresa
Ann Virginia Bayer devised a world that worked wonders as an individual play as
well as paying great respect to the source material. What Coffee and Biscuit
does well is it opens up a conversation about the source material as well as
the themes it presents. By having a clever device with the puppets, the theme
is subtler.