History of The Devil
By Clive Barker
Directed by John Hetzel
Reviewed by Craig Nolan Highley
Entire
contents are copyright © 2013, Craig Nolan Highley. All rights reserved.
Just how much of the evil and tragedy in human history is really the
fault of the Devil, if such an entity exists? That’s the question posed by the
intriguing new production of Clive Barker’s History
of the Devil at the Alley Theater. And the answer is, there are no easy
answers.
Told in a series of vignettes that span from the dawn of time to the
present, the story’s framework owes more than a little to Stephen Vincent Benét’s The Devil and Daniel Webster. It seems
old Scratch (J.P. Lebangood) is up for parole from his exile on Earth and must
go to trial to try and be admitted back into Heaven. For mysterious reasons, he
chooses an unqualified British attorney (Patrick Vaughn) to defend him and
goes to a barren plain in Kenya for his day in court.
As both defense and
prosecution witnesses, living and dead, take the stand, stories of Satan’s hits
and misses from the moment he was first cast out of Heaven and spanning the
millennia to the present are laid out before us in stark detail.
It is a fascinating story,
with an ending that may surprise you. And while not as grotesque as horror
author Barker’s usual fare, those familiar with his work will notice a lot of
nods to some of his more familiar output. Director Hetzel has done a remarkable
job of staging this larger-than-life piece in the limited confines of the
Alley’s small space, and has coaxed some very strong performances from his
cast.
Lebangood brings an
amazing degree of sympathy and pathos to his role as The Devil Incarnate, while
never losing the character’s inherent menace. But in this piece, it is the
smaller roles that really leave an impression, allowing some really strong work
by Joey Arena as a stiff-upper-lip Duke of York, Lance Flint as an ill-fated
Greek nobleman, Christopher Folan as a doomed errand boy, and Kenn Parks as a
hip Jesus Christ, among others.
High marks also go to
Rebecca Trout’s spot-on costumes covering a wide range of historical periods,
and Kenn Parks’ simple but effective set. The smoke effects and lighting design
also add great atmosphere to the proceedings.
On the downside, the show
does run very long; it seemed to make its points early and did not need to run
a full three hours. Although it is a British play, only two of the actors
attempted a British accent, serving only to call attention to the rest of the
actors who did not. And I didn’t quite get the point of an obviously female
character who was always referred to in pronoun as he or him. But if you can
get past those quibbles, it really is a fascinating production.
If you enjoy a bit of
philosophical head scratching in your theater-going, this is a show not to be
missed.
Starring Joey Arena, Jenna Bain, Lance Flint, Christopher Folan, Deanna
Joy Gillispie, Debbie Hess, Emma Johnson, J.P. Lebangood, Kenn Parks, Chris
Petty, Melissa Riddle, Ray Robinson, Jamie Shannon, Ontonio Smith, Christie
Troxell, and Patrick Vaughn.
History of the Devil
March 7-23, 2013
The Alley Theater
1205 Franklin Street
Louisville, KY 40206
502-713-6178
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