The 'Moving Theatre' of Beau Jest

Beau Jest Moving Theatre

Directed by Davis Robinson

At the New Ehrlich Theatre

Through March 1

THEIR STYLE has been described as "new mime," "new vaudeville," and "a capella mime." But the Beau Jest troupe call what they do "Moving Theatre." And the troop takes the name seriously, constantly moving--around the stage and around New England. For just a little while longer, though, the troupe is staying put, in the intimate confines of the New Ehrlich theatre.

Except for burlesque and Shakespearean soliloquies, the Boston-based Beau Jesters do it all: They do a parody of ritualized nonsense, what they term "A.R.T.-style," as well as the Flintstones theme song in barbershop quartet style. And from this mishmash, they create a surprisingly smooth and cleverly choreographed show.

With seven unrelated segments, the troupe tackles a wide variety of subjects, from city living to elementary school Winter Pageants to Mister Roger's neighborhood. But "tackles" isn't really the right word--the troupe seems to be having too much fun to want to hurt anything. Thus, their satire never has a cutting edge. On a bare stage, these two men and three women bound around with so much togetherness, good will and boisterousness that the place begins to resemble a positive energy seminar.

The opening skit, for instance, shows the troupe cozy and snuggled together in a country cabin. What saves the audience from being overwhelmed by the niceness of it all, though, is the fact that these performers are talented, polished and very limber. All are expert at transforming themselves into inanimate objects, small children, slimy monsters, and so on. What they lack in satiric sharpness they usually make up for in fast pacing and the sheer accuracy of their mimicry.

ESPECIALLY GOOD are two segments in the first half of the show. "Winter Wonderland" gives a quick bittersweet run through of all sorts of wintry wonders--Christmas dinner, snow-bound carts, snow angels, iceball fights, and the spectacle of two curious kids accidentally knocking over their Christmas tree.

"The Sporting Life" is a quick succession of aspects of the wide world of competition. In this expertly choreographed sequence, the satiric targets include the Miss America pageant, the Olympic, and ski-lift conversation. Yes, the targets are obvious and very easy, but thankfully so are the laughs.

Davis Robinson is the artistic director of the troupe and although he clearly runs the show, he never steals the spotlight from the other members. The presentation is democratic and refreshingly so because each troupe member dispatches his comic responsibilities with skill and apparent ease.

So long as it is entertaining, what's wrong with a positive energy seminar, anyway? The Beau Jest combination of jests and gestures should be seen before it moves again.