INCORRUPTIBLE
In the second installment, On Experience, Cartmill attempts to capitalize on the previous evening’s character orientation. Now we get some history, as we see Robespierre navigate the bloody and unpredictable tides of revolution. First the monarchy retaliates, but Robespierre braves the purge to become the number one firebrand, more influential even than Danton or Marat. Then the bloodletting gets out of hand when the commoners strike back. Robespierre distrusts the capricious masses and fears that his head could easily be the next to roll. So he institutionalizes the carnage in his famous Reign of Terror. But even this escapes his control and Robespierre–like a boss who’s already fired everyone he could blame his failures on–gets the ax. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? But partly because of the script, and partly due to James Marsters’s unchanging portrayal of Robespierre, On Experience is only slightly more substantial than the endless feather dusting of On Innocence.
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The best all-around performance is given by Tom Orf, who plays the mysterious “Gentleman, an angel,” and a couple of other, smaller roles. Orf is genuinely funny, intelligently funny, and he makes sense out of the script. With a few more actors like Orf (and substantial rewrites) you could pull this show off.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Jennifer Girard.
