The Oresteia
By Aeschylus
Directed by Julane Havens
Reviewed by Carlos Manuel
Copyright © 2012 Carlos Manuel. All rights reserved.
To attend Aeschylus’
The Oresteia at Walden Theatre and
find out that the company’s mission is to “provide the opportunity for young
people to grow and develop through the comprehensive study of theatre” was a surprising
delight. Like all Greek plays, The
Oresteia is not an easy work to present. Greek theatre is challenging
because it is very verbose, and I’ve seen enough of it to compare and contrast
productions. But I have never seen a Greek play done with young people.
If you have not
seen this modest production, I urge to take the time and see it. Yes, the
actors are not adults; but boy, do they do their best to become one! Every
actor who participated in this production needs to be commended – from those
who played principal roles to those who were part of the chorus – because each
of them portrayed her/his role with enthusiasm and commitment, something some
adult actors have not done in productions I’ve recently seen.
The technical
elements of the show are not up to par with the acting. Having the chorus in
black makes sense. But, unfortunately, the different shades of black, lengths
of the costumes, and style of clothing made it appear the actors had to pull
out their “costumes” from their own closets. More bothersome were the pieces of
red fabric, which visually worked well, but it would have been best if the
production team had spent some time creating seams for each piece of fabric;
they looked like they were just ripped apart and distributed in a hurry. That’s
how the set looked, too, built in a hurry with absolutely no cohesiveness whatsoever,
and worse, no dramatic purpose. With all the movement going on, it would have
been better to have an empty stage. The live music added a good element to the
production. Unfortunately, there were times when the musicians forgot there
were actors on stage and drowned their voices with the cacophony of
undistinguishable sounds.
What works best
here is the direction (and adaptation) by Julane Havens. She had a clear vision
about the show and knew how to use the young group to create such vision. The
movement, which I found fascinating, had purpose and was very engaging. This is
a good thing, because I’ve I said before, Greek plays are verbose. So to see a
young group of actors become towers, snakes, maps, and so many other things was
a delight. But what really made this production exciting are the actors who
committed to their roles – except for one young lady who constantly kept
looking around the theatre, the audience and other actors. That was distracting
because she was not easy to ignore due to a black spot she had on her left
cheek. Nonetheless, they all did a wonderful job with the material. The actors
playing The Furies, Orestes, Apollo and Cassandra stood out the most.
Another thing
that helped this production was the translation by Peter Meineck, who is known
for his classical Greek translations, and for this particular work which aims
to adapt the play for the modern stage. The translation isn’t poetic yet it
manages to be effective, bringing Aeschylus’s drama and imagery to the front,
no doubt helping the young group of actors in the understanding of such complex
work.
Once again, this
TYA production is to be commended because, despite a few shortfalls, the
commitment, the energy and the enthusiasm the cast invested in the production
is palpable, enjoyable and appreciated.
The Oresteia
October 11-13 and 18-20 at 7:30 p.m.
October 13 and 20 at 2:00 p.m.
October 13 and 20 at 2:00 p.m.
Walden Theatre
1123 Payne Street
Louisville, KY
(502) 589-0084
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