DEDO
Modigliani’s life provides ample raw material not only for drama but for melodrama–even soap opera. Born into a Jewish family in Livorno, Italy, he was so sickly as a boy that he had to give up school. He took up painting instead, and moved to Paris when he was 22. There he befriended some of the major artists of that period, including Picasso. (Many years later, the last word from the dying Picasso was “Dedo”–Modigliani’s nickname.)
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Given the chaotic script and pretentious songs, the cast members, under the direction of Susan Padveen, can hardly be blamed for looking tentative and confused onstage. As Dedo, Bill Lynn seems to be groping for a way to look playful, despondent, drunk, and lucid all at the same time. Unfortunately for him, that’s what the script requires him to do. Mary Ringstad, whose poise and intensity hint at the simmering passion within Jeanne Hebuterne, has no scene that allows her to demonstrate what Jeanne feels.
