MM Theater Blog

Arena Stage kicks off the season in high style with the World Premiere of Moisés Kaufman's 33 Variations, in co-production with Tectonic Theater Project. Creator of The Laramie Project and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, and director of the Pulitzer and Tony-winning I Am My Own Wife, Kaufman is adept at translating actual or historical events into dramatic theater.

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33 Variations is based on actual events - in 1819, publisher Anton Diabelli invites 50 composers to create a variation of a waltz that he has composed, promising to publish the collected works in one volume. It is reported that Beethoven at first declined the project, deeming the waltz too ordinary, and then changed his mind - creating not one, but 33 variations. Contemporary music scholar Katherine Brandt(exquisitely portrayed by Mary Beth Peil), becomes obsessively determined to understand Beethoven's fascination with the project, and her obsession is interwoven with Beethoven's as he composes the variations.

33 Variations follows the format of The Laramie Project, where those investigating the events become part of the drama. However in this case, though the historical events are real, the story of the woman who is researching them is completely fictionalized. Still, it makes for compelling drama.

The play evolves as Katherine journeys to Bonn, Germany to research the Beethoven archives. Diagnosed with a life threatening illness, Katherine becomes increasingly more dibilitated as she also becomes increasingly more intriqued by her discoveries. Actual letters and journal entries are woven into the dialogue, which lends to the realism of the unfolding of events. Beethoven (brilliantly portrayed by Graeme Malcom), Diabelli, and Schindler (Beethoven's assistant) are often on stage simultaneously with the current day characters, all of whom are speaking dialogue that is very cleverly interwoven by writer/director Kaufman.

The magic of Kaufman's play is derived from the insights into Beethoven's music. Not only is pianist Diane Walsh playing each variation on stage as it is discussed, but copies of Beethoven's actual drafts of music are displayed on the back wall of the stage. As Katherine describes conclusions she has drawn about Beethoven's creative process, the notes magically appear on the page on the wall, in front of our eyes. We feel as if we are there with Beethoven as he is composing the variations. Through the eyes of Katherine, we are given insights into the mind of one of the most brilliant composers of all time.

All of the supporting cast is first rate. Particlularly notable is Laura Odeh as Katherine's concerned daughter, Clara.

The real beauty of this play is that it is as intelligent as the material it attempts to illuminate. This play is a must-see for anyone who loves music, but it is not necessary to be a classical music buff to appreciate the very human themes. This is a first-rate production of an intelligent, witty, and poignant play.

MM Rating - * * * * *