ARCC’s adaption of Moises Kaufman’s play hits all the notes

By Jordan Rowan

Staff Writer

The insanity of genius was on display Friday night for ARCC Theatre Department’s adaption of the Moises Kaufman penned play “33 Variations.”  The play is a look into the process of creating art, letting obsession get in the way of life, and how difficult it is to move on.  What director Lisa Weaver along with the cast and crew have achieved in this production is remarkable.

The play follows two storylines separated by 200 years but with striking similarities.  One is the story of Dr. Katherine Brandt, a musicologist, who attempts to discover why Beethoven felt compelled to write 33 variations on a simple waltz written by a minor music publisher.  The second is the story of Beethoven himself, writing these variations amidst his growing deafness.  These stories intertwine seamlessly and are played out so well that jumping back and forth between them never feels jarring.  It feels necessary.

Brandt has a difficult relationship with her daughter, Clara, and her boyfriend, Mike, who both just want the best for her as she deals with ALS.  Beethoven has similarly complicated relationships with his assistant, Anton Schindler, and the man who wrote the waltz he is writing the variations from and publishing his work, Anton Diabelli.  While Brandt and Beethoven are the conduits through which the story unfolds, it is the relationships between these acquaintances where the story lies.

Brandt is played with a stubborn genius amongst fragility by Madeleine Worthington.  She has maybe the toughest role in the play by playing a woman whose body deteriorates as the play goes on but Worthington manages to keep the emotional impact along with the humor even when she can’t move an arm or a leg.

Brandon Osero is the star of the show as Beethoven.  He puts on a powerhouse of a performance as an obsessive maestro with electrifying gusto.  There is a scene in the second act where he and the pianist (beautifully played by Liz Kuivinen tasked with playing these variations on cue) have an interplay where he is composing a variation in his head, narrating what he wants the composition to sound like, and she plays it.  There was brilliance at work watching Osero express the high notes in his voice and softly whisper the lows.  Whenever he is on stage, you can’t take your eyes off him.

Everyone deserves praise in this production.  Courtney Von Vett was excellent as Brandt’s daughter, Clara, and her chemistry with Lance Rohloff, as the aloof but good-natured boyfriend Mike, provided the best laughs of the evening.  Collan Simmons plays the panicky and humbled Diabelli with jittery grace.  Trenton Wyman plays “friend of Beethoven” with a pompous but caring disposition.  Jamie Costello plays the closest thing to a friend Brandt has in Dr. Gertrude Ladenbruger with feisty confidence.

“33 Variations” is funny, poignant, and well-crafted by Lisa Weaver and the cast.  There isn’t a moment that feels out of place.  It deals with issues that every family must face and obstacles every artist must overcome.  It’s where obsession meets reality and loss meets the strength to carry on.