what: alchemy of desire/dead-man's blues by caridad svich
where: the public house theatre - lakeview
accompaniment: becky & dustin
drinkability: perfection! full bar at the space that takes credit cards and cash and offers specials. i drank wine.
show length: 60 minutes- no intermission.
out of four: two/four
forging relationships in theatre aren't that different from scouting out, dating, falling in love and eventually choosing that special person to be with forever. it takes time, patience, and ultimately: chemistry. this premiere production from two tongues exemplified just that: chemistry in theatre. these girls (most if not all) met during last year's collaborative experience of THE BACCHAE from the right brain project (see my review last year here). they came together to create this piece of theatre- and there isn't any arguing that.
we focus on the relationship and loss of simone's husband jamie (played by caitlin ease). we open on simone (played by reagan walsh-davis) just as the wake in her home has ended- leaving her with buckets of fried chicken- a gift from the neighborhood of fellow mourners. we follow her through her beginning stage of her journey as she refuses to reenter her house after leaving it that day. her neighbors gather to gossip, theorize and ultimately help ease the pain of cleaning the house- both of physical and spiritual messes.
this show is written in a highly unique fashion- a majority of the dialogue is presented in monologue form. the time on stage that the characters speak directly to each other is very minimal. the show is also billed as a 'play with songs'- which I thought added a really lovely texture in between and during scenes.
i can easily see why this script was alluring to these girls. each of them got a moment in the spotlight and svich's language is an actor's monologue dream. its funny, its sad, its descriptive in the best ways. the biggest thing this script was missing was a fully realized connection through all of the characters. they felt like they were on their own island, lamenting about the sand and the sea and the burning of their skin- and only occasionally noticing that they had other captives around them- feeling the same.
i applaud these ladies for coming together, self-directing and even writing in their own music (additional composing done by carolyn sinon who also played the character caroline) because they thought a work of art was compelling and beautiful. in the end- don't we all need to see and create things like that?
tonight is their closing night at the public house theatre- tickets are $15- $10 industry at the door with the code word HOUDINI. enjoy!
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upcoming january shows:
sunday january 26th, 2pm: promethean ensemble's the lark
join me, will you?