NEW YORK—This new musical, Adding Machine , based on Elmer Rice's 1923 expressionist play starts out like a house afire under David Cromer's fine direction. For one thing, it's not a typical rah-rah musical but rather a provocative play supported by songs that advance the plot and ideas.
Mr. Zero (Joel Hatch), an accountant in the early 1920s, works tirelessly on his manual adding machine, as do scores of other accountants behind him. Mr. Zero has been doing this work for 25 years. His wife, Mrs. Zero (Cyrilla Baer) is also tireless as she puts him down endlessly while the couple lies in bed (which is standing on its end for better viewing by the audience) in the first scene.
Mr. Zero faces away from his wife as she drones on in her endless critique. Later, on the job, he is assisted by Daisy (Amy Warren), who reads receipt totals to him rapidly and monotonously, as he enters each item conscientiously. Not much for him to look forward to.
Mr. Zero, however, feels he does have something to look forward to. This day marks his 25th anniversary on the job, and when the Boss (Jeff Still) asks to see him, our hero quite reasonably expects a just reward. Instead, Mr. Zero is informed that he is expendable; electric adding machines save time and labor (and money). Shocked and offended, Mr. Zero metes out his personal justice.
For this, Mr. Zero lands in jail, sentenced to death. His cellmate is the friendly Shrdlu (Joe Farrell), who has committed an even more dire crime.
The foregoing scenes are terse and effective. The next scenes, set in the afterlife, lose impact. Here, in the Elysian Fields (charming and simple set by Takeshi Kata) Mr. Zero encounters Daisy, who, secretly enamored of him, has taken steps to join him. They look forward to enjoying a romantic future.
It all becomes a bit too sweet and we lose sight of the important point of the play: that men become prisoners of their machines and lose their own will. Though never overtly expressed, any aware person knows that computers will later make simpler appliances obsolete.
The last scene reverts to The Machine, enhanced by hard-edged back wall projections reminiscent of Charles Chaplin's great film, Modern Times, and the play picks up momentum again. Performances are excellent, with Joel Hatch carrying the lead role with strength and relish. Cyrilla Baer, Amy Warren, and Joe Farrell supply fine support. Others in the cast, as Mr. and Mrs. One, and Mr. and Mrs. Two, respectively, are Daniel Marcus, Niffer Clarke, Roger E. DeWitt, and Adinah Alexander.
Original music is by Joshua Schmidt, with libretto by Mr. Schmidt and Jason Loewith. Making up a strong part of the whole are the aforementioned set designer Takeshi Kata, with lighting design by Keith Parham, and sound design by Tony Smolenski IV.
Adding Machine
Minetta Lane Theatre
18 Minetta Lane
Tickets: (212) 307-4100
Closes: June 5, 2008
Diana Barth writes and publishes "New Millennium," an arts newsletter.
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