REVIEW: Isaac Mizrahi's Enchanting "Peter and the Wolf" at the Guggenheim
December 9, 2023
Sergei Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf might be the greatest musical work of the twentieth century, for one important reason — its lasting impact introducing countless children to classical music. I have an indelible memory from my second grade classroom, as the florescent lights were dimmed and the simple adventure of a boy named Peter — who along with his Grandfather, a Bird, a Duck, and a Cat, captures a menacing Wolf — was projected onto a flickering screen. But more than the details of the quaint tale, what stuck with that second grader was the strange and vivid music, and being introduced to some new friends: the instruments of the orchestra.
Guggenheim’s Works & Process series has kept the tradition alive for more than a decade, presenting Peter and the Wolf every December in the Peter B. Lewis Theater at the Guggenheim Museum, in a delightful production conceived, directed, narrated, and designed by Isaac Mizrahi.
Mizrahi, with the wink of a witty gay uncle, welcomes and disarmingly puts the restless audience of families at ease, introducing those instruments, the expert musicians playing them, and the characters they represent. Those musicians, arranged around the cake-shaped Frank Lloyd Wright-designed room, are Ensemble Connect, under the crisp baton of conductor Michael P. Atkinson.
Mizrahi explains that the Bird, gracefully portrayed by Maxfield Haynes (alternating in the role with Paige Barnett Kulbeth), is given voice by the flute. Like magic, as flutist Anjali Shinde began to play the Bird’s chirping music, a hush swept over the chatty children. The Duck (hilariously danced by Marjorie Folkman), is given voice by her “uncanny” doppelgänger, the oboe (Joseph Jordan), which Mizrahi confirms, “has TWO reeds, darling.”
Introductions continue, with the Cat (danced by appropriately slithery Zach Gonder) represented by sultry clarinet (Bixby Kennedy). The quirky bassoon (Marty Tung) is Grandfather (Norton Owen). The Wolf (Daniel Pettrow): French horn (Ryan Dresen), which Mizrahi points out, is “like France itself — very beautiful, but very difficult!”
The Hunter (Derrick Arthur) is depicted by the pounding of the timpani (Oliver Xu and Brandon Ilaw excelled on percussion) which elicited a “that’s quite enough, darling!” Finally, Peter (a delightful Kara Chan, alternating with Alex Meeth) is depicted by the energetic strings (David Brent, Rubén Rangel, Ramón Carrero-Martínez, Thapelo Masita, and Marguerite Cox).
Mizrahi’s unpretentious design brings the story to the New York audience where they are — Central Park; his ingenious costumes and the amusing choreography by John Heginbotham allowed for charming characterizations. Chan, as Peter, embodied precocious, unjudgmental spirit; Haynes, as the Bird, flitted about the space with an optimistic air. Especially amusing is Folkman’s staging and performance as the Duck — taking a cue from Prokofiev’s music — indulging in the “waters” of the pond. Atkinson conducted beautifully, and the soloists brought humor and personality to the musical motifs. The top-notch instrumental ensemble played with vivacious energy.
Thanks to Mizrahi’s down-to-earth, fresh approach — with just the occasional added bit — Peter and the Wolf continues to enthrall modern audiences. With a bit of luck, a few of those children will remember the allure of Prokofiev’s musical storytelling, and further investigate the musical instruments that brought Peter’s day in Central Park to life.
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