Seven in One Blow

Conceived and written by Randy Sharp and Axis Company

Directed by Randy Sharp

Axis Theatre

1 Sheridan Square

212-807-9300

 

Review by Bryan Clark

 

Fly Swatter: Axis Theatre's Seven in One Blow (or The Brave Little Kid) (photo: Dixie Sheridan).

 

A holiday show that has nothing to do with Christmas? A kid’s show that refrains from patronizing the children? Both can be found at Seven in One Blow (or The Brave Little Kid), an annual winter treat at Axis Theatre since 2002.

 

Artistic director Randy Sharp uses the Brothers Grimm story The Valiant Little Tailor as a starting place and expands freely on the original conceit. In both versions, a youngster swats at seven flies and kills them in a single blow. This feat boosts his self-confidence and inspires him to strike out into the world, wearing a belt adorned with the warning: “Seven In One Blow.” He meets a king and is promised a share of the kingdom in exchange for battling troublesome beasts.

 

The Brothers Grimm version of the tale featured an orphaned 19th-century teenager, tired of his lowly trade and ready to take on the world in search of mightier clout. Axis offers a frustrated modern adolescent who only watches television, certain his parents are so busy with “work and parties” that they wouldn’t even notice if he left. But in keeping with modern sensibilities (and in contrast with the original), this youngster doesn’t seek to usurp the kingdom that he is offered. Instead, he longs to share it with his parents and win their affection.

 

The cast is ably led by Marc Palmieri as narrator Mac, who encourages the audience to shout instructions in the British panto tradition. Lynn Mancinelli is perfectly accessible as the Kid, whose boyishness is not all it seems. The entire ensemble is on the mark, and the fact that five of the 10 original cast members remain with this seasonal show in its eighth year speaks to the labor of love that is evident on the Axis stage.

 

All post-Grimm contrivances are in service of the play. Mac is a homeless man who tells the Kid’s tale to a homeless child, providing a fresh model of alternative parenting. The countryside is cold because the month of December is held prisoner by a witch, creating an excuse to put snow all over the stage without addressing specific holiday practices. Candy is distributed at the curtain call, but my five-year-old was more impressed by the show than by the sweets. “That was the best play ever,” he declared.