PICK - 33 Variations - to May 24

Left, Zach Grenier as Beethoven; right, Jane Fonda as Katherine Brandt. Photo by Joan Marcus. Eugene O'Neill Theatre, W. 49th Street. In Moises Kaufman's 33 Variations, a contemporary musicologist Katherine (played Jane Fonda) sets out to resolve an old musical mystery. Beethoven was one of many composers commissioned to write a variation on a trivial waltz theme composed by music publisher Anton Diabelli. He chose to write not one but many variations, ultimately 33 in all. Why did he devote so much of the latter part of his life to embellishing such a trivial tune?
Katherine's struggles with degeneration caused by late-stage ALS are parallel to Beethoven's growing deafness while working on the variations; each must overcome the progress of his illness in order to complete an obsessive task. Kaufman takes great composers and their music as a metaphor for life and employs a fugal structure to organize a many-layered play. Critic Martin Denton wrote:

"What [playwright Moises Kaufman]does do in 33 Variations is look at the ineffable nature of art. Where does it come from? How does a Beethoven 'hear' so many different and glorious arrangements of the same four notes, finding such diverse moods and emotions within them? And how does a Katherine sift through so-called evidence (sketches, historical accounts, letters, and so forth) to impose meaning on this music?"

Our correspondent Harriet enjoyed 33 Variations and this is her report:

"The play is a wonderful piece of theater and there are lots of nominations possible. There is a Tony nomination for Best Actress in Jane Fonda's performance. There is a Tony nomination for Best Supporting Actor in Beethoven's performance [Zach Grenier]. There is a Tony nomination for Best Play by Moises Kaufman. And, there might even be a nomination for best set design. If there were a nomination for best classical music piano accompanist, it would go to Diane Walsh for her peformance of the 'Diabelli Variations.' The ensemble put together a wonderful story based on research into musical history, with 'variations' on some of the human emotions and stories of the people involved, both in Beethoven's time and now."

You can listen to the Diabelli Variations as recorded by Diane Walsh on the show's website. There is a tremendous amount of glorious music played in the show, but it is not a musical. The play has its flaws, but nonetheless it is a very interesting evening of theater with fine music and a magnetic performance by Fonda.