‘Fire and Air’ plays at the Classic Stage Company through Feb. 25. 136 E. 13th St., classicstage.org
Terrence McNally’s new historical drama follows the story of Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev, the larger-than-life, early 20th century Russian ballet impresario, and his lover Vaslav Nijinsky, who became the most acclaimed male dancer in the world headlining Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. It’s a tale that has been dramatized multiple times before, including the 1980 Herbert Ross film “Nijinsky.”
“Fire and Air,” which is receiving its world premiere at Off-Broadway’s Classic Stage Company, 136 E. 13th St., proves to be an intense and interesting drama on the subject, albeit underdeveloped and patchy. It stars English actor Douglas Hodge (who won a Tony in 2010 as the drag artist Albin in “La Cage aux Folles”) as Diaghilev.
More character study than narrative (not unlike “Master Class,” McNally’s drama about opera icon Maria Callas), “Fire and Air” works best when the highly emotional, demanding Diaghilev plays off the self-assured Nijinsky (James Cusati-Moyer).
It climaxes with the scandalous premiere of the avant-garde ballet “The Rite of Spring” and Nijinsky’s abandonment of Diaghilev (by marrying a fellow dancer in the company). The second half is comparatively uneventful and downbeat, with Diaghilev dying penniless and Nijinsky descending into mental illness.
John Doyle (who is best-known for his scaled-down productions of classic musicals and plays) provides the kind of minimalist production that he has become his trademark, using an empty space that evokes a ballet studio. This serves the play well by keeping the focus on Hodge’s flamboyant and forceful performance as Diaghilev.
By comparison, Cusati-Moyer’s Nijinsky is confident, quiet and enigmatic. Broadway veterans Marsha Mason, Marin Mazzie, John Glover and Jay Armstrong Johnson play various other figures in Diaghilev’s life. They add little to the play besides providing Diaghilev with a sympathetic audience.
Perhaps “Fire and Air” ought to be further distilled into a two-man drama, just Diaghilev and Nijinsky, telling their stories and squaring off.
