FringeNYC 2013: Horsehead
In The Godfather, the head of a horse is cut off and placed in the bed of a Hollywood film director for the refusal of a favour... ever thought about the two guys that had to put it there?
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Review by Robert Weinstein · August 13, 2013
When I first heard the idea behind Cattive Compagnie’s Horsehead, I laughed for a good thirty seconds. The play takes place in the world of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather and follows the story of the two brothers who are tasked with cutting off the horse head that is placed in a movie producers bed who refused to do a favor for Marlon Brando.
I laughed because I love that movie and was glad that someone had given thought to a scene I’d always taken for granted. I was thrilled that someone had come up with the idea and was curious to see what the company would do with the material.
Damon Lockwood’s dark and playful script exceeded all my expectations. He begins the play in a run-down hotel room where the two brothers - Filippo and Edmondo Fonzie - await their instructions. Filippo is the leader of the two. He’s dressed in snazzy blue suit, loves horses and dreams of the chance at a mafioso life. Edmondo Fonzie is the moody underling who wears a tattered suits, spouts the wisdom of acting guru Sanford Meisner (he wants to be an actor) and detests the life his brother desires. This last point is at the root of their conflict and they playfully - and ruthlessly - pick at, confuse, support and undermine each other with the verbal dexterity of a Mamet salesman and the physical spontaneity of a prize fighter.
The result is kind of a mess but the chaos is mesmerizing. I didn’t always understand the what’s or the why’s of the brothers interactions, but by imbuing these characters with such clear, immediate and relatable needs, Lockwood makes the play’s many twists surprising yet understandable.
The play is a lot of fun. Director Leonardo Buttaroni keeps the proceedings loose, giving his two actors - Diego Migeni and Sebastiano Gavasso - plenty of room to create highly stylized characters without letting them venture into broad, ham-fisted buffoonery. They are aided in their efforts by Paolo Carbone and Cherie Hewson’s sets which build on a very specific interpretation of Coppola’s film and Giovanni Grasso’s lighting bathes the stage is dusty light and, when necessary, stark shadows.
Preview: Interviews with Artists from Horsehead
We're asking artists from each show to answer questions about themselves and their work to help our readers get a detailed advance picture of the festival:
The Five W's · Damon Lockwood (Writer)
- Who are your favorite playwrights?
Harold Pinter is probably my favourite playwright. He has such an ability to say the most amount possible with the least amount of words. - What's your favorite pastime when you’re not working on a play?
Hoping to get hit with the next idea for a new play, hoping to get hard. And drinking beer, of course, as a tribute to my Australian heritage. - Where does this play take place, and how did you choose that location?
It takes place in a rundown apartment in New York, 1947. It is the apartment of the elder of two brothers. It is, how to say, a shithole. The last hiding place of a desperate man. - When did you know you wanted to work in the theater, and why?
I knew I wanted to work in the theatre when I was convinced I didn't want a regular pay packet and years and years of uncertainty... but holy crap, it's the best isn't it?! - Why did you want to write this show?
Without wanting to sound too naff, the idea hit me like an absolute thunderbolt and I felt (and still do feel) it was too strong an idea not to be written. It demanded to be written. Also, it was halftime in the football match I was watching, so, what are you going to do?...
Many Faces of Theater · Diego Migeni and Sebastiano Gavasso - HorseHead Actors (Other)
- Why are theater festivals important?
Because they permit to people all around the world to watch, appreciate, dislike, understand different kind of theatre and different kind of life. - Are there boundaries as to what kind of theatre you will take part in?
No boundaries, but our first interest is to tell to the audience a story, a character, a "theatralized life" that can interest and improve him and ourselves. - Are audiences in New York City different from audiences in other cities/countries where you’ve worked? If so, how?
For us is the first time in NY. We'll answer to this question at the end of the Fringe experience. We worked in Australia, India, Germany,Italy and the audience appreciated our "Roman" way of theatre. - Who are some current indie theater writers/directors/creators whose work really excites you now?
Of course Damon Lockwood, the author of Horse Head, and Leonardo Buttaroni, the director of the same show. - Which character from a Shakespeare play would like your show the best: King Lear, Puck, Rosalind, or Lady Macbeth -- and why?
The character who represents Horse Head is probably Hamlet for his mixture of comedy and drama, for his doubts, for his solutions. We have another show that we play in the ancients streets of Rome, "Shakespeare in Borgo", which is a mix of different scenes of the Shakespeare's world.
Journey to FringeNYC · cherie hewson (Designer)
- What are some of your previous theater credits? (Be specific! Name shows, etc.)
I (HONESTLY) LOVE YOU, SUITCASE SET,RUN KITTY RUN, THE WORST SCHOOL BALL EVER, PHILIP WALLEY-STACK INTERNATIONAL, REFRACTIONS. - Why are theater festivals important?
TO SHOWCASE UP AND COMING CREATIVES. - If this is your first appearance in FringeNYC -- why did you want to be part of this festival? If you have appeared in FringeNYC before, tell us what show(s) you have done here previously. What about your prior experience led you back to this festival?
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME APPEARING IN THE NEW YORK FESTIVAL BUT WITH TWO SHOWS. ONE FROM ITALY AND ONE FROM AUSTRALIA BOTH WRITTEN BY THE SAME WRITER DAMON LOCKWOOD. - Have you seen a lot of fringe shows in the past, and what have you learned from them to help with this show?
I HAVE WORKED AND TOURED LARGE SHOWS. BEING A 'MINIMALIST' IS THE BEST WAY TO TRAVELLING A SMALL SHOW BUT WITH THE 'MAXIMIST' IMPACT. - If you're a New Yorker: why is FringeNYC an important part of the summer theater scene?
If you're not a New Yorker: what are you most looking forward to doing and seeing (apart from the festival) while you're here?
TALKING TO THE MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE THAT ARE A PART OF THE FESTIVAL AND ENJOYING THEIR DIVERSE CREATIVE ABILITIES AND BEING A TOURIST IN NEW YORK
All About My Show · Diego Migeni and Sebastiano Gavasso - HorseHead Actors (Actor)
- Complete this sentence: My show is the only one in FringeNYC that...?
…has Italian actors and director, an Australian author, and and Italian American inspirator: Mario Puzo. - Tell us about the character or characters that you portray in this show.
In Francis Ford Coppola’s 1975 ground-breaking film The Godfather, the head of a prize horse is savagely cut off and placed in the bed of a hotshot Hollywood film director for the refusal of a favour... ever thought about the two guys that had to put it there? HorseHead is a whip-cracking tale of two Italian-Americans brothers (Filippo, a goodfella who loves horses, and Edmondo a malinchonic unsuccessful actor) given this viciously gruesome task to ensure their future with the mob. Fil and Ed grapple with their own demons plus the extremity of the task appointed to them to reach some form of resolution. So they change a lot during the show. This is the key of the show, and of the characters. - What moment or section in this show do you really love to perform? Without giving away surprises, what happens in that moment and why do you love it?
We love to perform this show entirely, and there are so many suprises that we can't give them away... - Which school or system of acting has been most useful to you in your career, and why (examples: The Method, Uta Hagen, Viewpoints, etc.)?
We are very interested in any kind of acting system: Italian acting, Australian acting, American acting, Classic acting, and so on. Act is life, so it can't be "methodize", but you gotta know them to can use the best one in any situation. - What's your favorite pastime when you’re not working on a play?
When we're not working on a play...we are working on a play. This is our favorite pastime.
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