Elle

The Zipper, N.Y.
Through July 31

Alan Cumming always seems a bit more convincing playing grotesque figures rather than ordinary people, as illustrated once again by his turn as a particularly baroque pope in this production of a previously unperformed work by French playwright Jean Genet.

Presented by the Art Party, a new producing entity co-founded by Cumming, the surrealistic, extravagantly florid "Elle" doesn't exactly make a strong case for the play's exhumation, but it does have its fascinations and provides this talented actor with an outsized role commensurate with his talents. The show is playing a very limited run, necessitated by the need of its star to depart for the filming of the "X-Men" sequel, "X2."

The brief work, presented in a new adaptation by Cumming, concerns a photographer (Anson Mount) who has been sent to take an official portrait of the pope. He is greeted by an usher (Stephen Spinella) who attempts to coach him in the protocol of a papal encounter via a series of portentously comic pronouncements as well as a high-heel-wearing cardinal (Chad L. Coleman).

Eventually, the pope arrives, making an entrance that wouldn't be out of place in an MGM musical. Wearing an off-the-shoulder gown that opens to reveal his bare behind (a Cumming specialty, it would seem, judging from his previous New York theater turns in "Cabaret" and "Design for Living") and gliding around on roller skates, this pope, speaking in a vaguely Teutonic accent, is far from typical.

The pope, who is constantly referred to with feminine pronouns, proceeds to provide a lecture on the artificiality and illusionary nature of his position, making his points through gestures like offering to have his official portrait taken while sitting on a chamber pot. While the verbal specifics are sometimes less than scintillating, the playwright's points are well-observed and ever timely, and their absurdist comic aspects, well-realized in this production, do provide some laughs.

Granted that the humor does start to peter out well before the conclusion of the play's brief running time (70 minutes), there's ample pleasure to be derived from the star's highly stylized and outsized comic turn. The performance is literally amplified, by the way, via the presence of a video camera presenting a constant if distorted projection on the rear wall.

The play is being presented in the Zipper, housed in a former zipper factory in the garment district, and the venue's atmospheric qualities only add to the evening's overall effectiveness. Tim Hatley's set design, utilizing the stage's narrow playing area, varies from the minimal (an Archie Bunker-style easy chair, some stand-up lights) to the truly outrageous (which won't be revealed here).

"It's a little over the top," the photographer mutters at one point. It's a description that well applies to this inaugural effort from a promising new theater company.

ELLE
Presented by the Art Party
A new version by Alan Cumming from a literal translation by Terri Gordon
Credits:
Playwright: Jean Genet
Director: Nick Philippou
Set designer: Tim Hatley
Costume designer: Vivienne Westwood
Lighting: Philip S Rosenberg
Projection: Peter Nigrini
Sound: Robert Gould
Cast:
The Usher: Stephen Spinella
The Photographer: Anson Mount
The Cardinal: Chad L. Coleman
The Pope: Alan Cumming
Second Photographer: Brian Duguay