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Also this issue: Henry Rollins Polite Madness Monsters, Ink On The Money |
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February 6-12, 2003
mixpicks
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If you could cross the Peter Sellers of Casino Royale (the one transformed from Toulouse-Lautrec to Hitler to Napoleon within a fleeting second of film frames) with the too-slaphappy Roberto Benigni, adding a dash of David Bowie a la Ashes to Ashes Pierrot period costuming, you'd end up with the Italian speed-demon, quick-change artist Arturo Brachetti. Not artist, but rather actor or artiste -- one who not only changes clothes and facial accoutrements but uses singing, tricks and dancing to complete character transformations. But what does that mean -- to be a guy who can, in seconds, go from beards to bras, from bosomy babes to hippie dudes and Deco dames and nearly 96 others -- to a live audience? Like Marceau and Dame Edna before him, Brachetti is seeking to be a mega-export; one who'll transform his sellout popularity at the Paris Olympia and London's West End into American cult stardom. Like his spiritual mentor, Leopoldo Fregoli, the godfather of the Italian art form, Brachetti is master thespian (performing roles from Shakespeare to The Elephant Man in his native Italy), as well as gymnast, contortionist and magician. Utilizing these skills to their nth degree, Brachetti pretzelizes and levitates: Backed by a music hall score and elaborate revue staging, he makes quick escapes through the black holes of baggy pants or tight skirts in the blink of a sigh. Having jumped through the hoops of makeup and dozens of outfits myself within an evening, I'm curious to see how well Brachetti does. It would be interesting to make my dramatic clothes addiction more than a hobby, you know.
Arturo Brachetti, Tue.-Sun., Feb. 11-16, $37-$52, Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St., 215-336-1234.
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