Abishag, Dido, Clemence, and Nadezhda, a circle, a square, then two elephant pairs with a kissing of trunks, and the music of two foolish tubas
galumphs through the ring, a waltz with the pulse of an elephant's heart to disguise their great silence.
A serious actor capable of studied intensity and nuanced emotions, especially when working with arthouse helmer Cao Baoping ("The Equation of Love and Death," "The Dead End"), Deng discards all that for an aggressively physical performance consisting of nonstop growls, glares and
galumphs.
He
galumphs around with aimless urgency in a workaday suit and heavy shoes, trying to soar, but his flex-footed leaps clunk hopelessly back to earth.
Anyone who
galumphs through the world with a knit cap pulled low on her head, her face radiating a wide-eyed wonder copied from Giulietta Masina in La Strada, must surely be better than the rest of us.
4] CCvvCCvC PREACHER CCvvCvCv BREAKAGE CCvvvCCC TRIEUMPH CCvvvCvv SQUEEGEE CCvvvvvC SLEAUUOL CvCCCCCv WOSCHSSE CvCCCvCC * PUZZLING CvCCCvvv BUDDLEIA CvCCvCvC COMPUTER CvCCvvCv DORMOUSE CvCvCCCC GALUMPHS CvCvCCvv DISAGREE CvCvCvvC DIVISION CvCvvCCv SEQUENCE CvCvvvCC CANOEIST CvCvvvvv BEQUEAUE CvvCCCvC POUCHFUL CvvCCvCv JAUNDICE CvvCvCCC DIADELPH CvvCvCvv DIALOGUE CvvCvvvC CAESIOUS CvvvCCCv NOUEMBRE CvvvCvCC MIAOWING CvvvCvvv * BEAULIEU CvvvvCvC GUAIACIN CvvvvvCv ZAAOUATA(Mor) 8-LETTER V PATTERNS vvvvvvvv * vvvvvvCC OUAOUARG(Mor) vvvvvCCv OUAOUCHA(Mor) vvvvCvvC IEIUNIUM vvvvCCvv IUUENTEE vvvvCCCC vvvCvvCv IEALOUSE vvvCvCvC IAIVELIN vvvCCvvv * OUACHAOU(Mor) vvvCCvCC EUECTICS vvvCCCCv UAAKKNMA(Ukr) vvCvvvvC OUTOUAI[S.
The story
galumphs along with plenty of heavy-handed rhyme but little reason and no one to care about or even like, Carmen included.
She
galumphs down the polemical path into a fractured sociology and rhetorical moral order, trying to contemporize Morisot with a trendy reference to surrogate mothers.
Standouts in the supporting cast include Donna Lynne Champlin's Honoria, who crinkles her nose and
galumphs about with exaggerated gusto like a horsy English girl; Becky Watson's girlish Madeline, twirling about giddily in the prettiest of Louise Belson's costumes; James Kall, spot-on as the tongue-tied and lovestruck Gussie; and Sam Tsoutsouvas, quite smashing as the blustery Sir Watkyn.
It's the comic high point of the play and Weems literally
galumphs with it.
Instead of being rerouted, like a dazed behemoth in a rumpled country suit, he slowly
galumphs towards his favourite corner table.
