OFF-BROADWAY REVIEW
Billed as a speculative tale about the relationship
between Edwin Booth and his younger brother, John Wilkes Booth, An Error of the Moon takes a 360-degree
turn from Creatore’s earlier play on the Booth brothers, The Man Who Shot Lincoln, which was weakened by an avalanche of factual
references. This time, Creatore dispensed with history lesson and wrote a fictional
account of the Booth brothers’ relationship. Creatore’s speculations are premised
on Oscar Wilde’s antimimetic philosophy that life imitates art far more than
art imitates life. In this case, the art is Shakespeare’s Othello which is appropriate since Edwin Booth has always been
associated with Othello. Edwin’s
portrayal of Othello’s villain, Iago,
was touted as one of the best ever seen on stage. It is not surprising that the play’s title is
also borrowed from Othello. The plot as well as other elements of An Error of the Moon is clearly inspired
by Shakespeare’s Othello. Creatore’s
homage to Shakespeare provides notable juxtapositions. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago destroys Othello by
concocting a scheme to mislead Othello into believing that his (Othello’s) wife,
Desdemona, is having an extramarital affair with Othello’s lieutenant, Cassio.
In Creatore’s An Error of the Moon,
Edwin Booth unwittingly destroys himself by concocting a scenario in his mind
which leads him to believe that his wife, Mary, is having an extramarital
affair with his brother, John. As the object of Edwin’s jealousy, Mary is undoubtedly
Desdemona. John, as the third party in Edwin’s self-fabricated love triangle, is
Cassio. Edwin is Othello and Iago at the same time. As a victim, Edwin is
Othello. Edwin’s internal conflict arising from his paranoia over his imagined
affair between his wife and his brother makes up Edwin’s own Iago. Although
Creatore deliberately avoided turning John’s diary into Desdemona’s
handkerchief, Desdemona is obliquely referred to when John boasts about
receiving a pass for President Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration from a senator’s daughter who will do
anything for John. Othello’s wife, Desdemona, is a senator’s daughter. Creatore’s narrative straddles between the main
plot involving Edwin’s paranoia over his wife’s supposed affair with John and
the subplot involving John’s obsession to kidnap President It is difficult to sympathize with the play’s
principal character, Edwin, because he created his own problem and his
suspicion about his wife’s unfaithfulness is utterly baseless. Overhearing part
of a conversation while he is heavily intoxicated does not provide a solid
foundation from which to draw his conclusion. With this lame basis and his
descent to madness, it doesn’t take long before Edwin’s constant nagging of
Mary about the real father of their child, Edwina, becomes annoying. Even after
Mary is gone, Edwin still mulls over the same question. The play’s conclusion also appears to have been
forced as it comes in the form of deus ex
machina: Edwin’s epiphany is aided by his father’s “ghost”. Edwin’s realization
and subsequent transformation may have signaled the completion of his character
arc but his journey as principal character barely satisfies as there are no real
struggles for him to rise above his predicament. The play is presented as flashback, framed by
Edwin’s narration in the afterlife. However, the use of deceased Edwin as
bookend appears arbitrary and weak because it is not organic to the play. The
play’s plot is not about Edwin’s demise. Shortly after John Wilkes Booth made his The other elements of the production are better executed.
Alixandra Gage Englund’s simple yet elegant costumes are evocative of the
period. Charles Foster‘s creative lighting and Christian Frederickson’s sound
design are unobtrusive. Although the confinement of The Beckett Theatre’s performance
area made the space look cramped, Steven Capone’s stylized stage design
enhanced the production. While C. Andrew Bauer’s initially sparse and discreet video
projections complement the action on stage, they later turn repetitive and
tiresome. If not used cautiously, video projections can be literal showstoppers.
Fresh from the creative triumph of her Drama
desk-nominated Fetes de la Nuit,
director Kim Weild made some interesting directorial choices in An Error of the Moon. However, she could
have spiced up the play’s staging with some zest and vigor. The play’s material
offers a treasure trove of amazing possibilities but Creatore and Weild missed
their golden opportunity to turn it into a real gem of a play about two of the
most brilliant theatre actors ever. It is
worth noting that while John Wilkes Booth is at The Beckett Theatre, hatching
his evil plot to get Abraham Lincoln, the object of John’s hatred must be over
the moon at nearby The Acorn Theatre as he hosts his Big Gay Dance Party. Well,
that calls for an entirely different review. 
LIFE IMITATES SHAKESPEARE
Reviewed by Ron S. Covar
Published 2010-09-01
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