Home > Theater Reviews > Archives > 2006 > August > 01 > Entry
‘Metamorphoses’ at Georgia Shakes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
THEATER REVIEW. Through Aug. 20. Grade: B -
In Mary Zimmerman’s “Metamorphoses,” scale is everything.
Instead of thunderbolt and lightning and the clash of titans, the stories of ancient mythology are reduced to their human essence. The workings of man come across like a little play that the gods put on for their own entertainment.
That’s certainly the effect of watching Georgia Shakespeare’s sometimes overtly comic take on the Chicago playwright’s Tony Award-winning adaptation of the tales of Ovid.
Director Richard Garner’s approach may lack the gossamer delicacy of Zimmerman’s seminal New York production. But in these stories of Zeus, Midas, Orpheus, Aphrodite and numerous others, Georgia Shakespeare’s 10-member ensemble manages to stir up its own brand of aquatic alchemy.
As you may have heard by now, the 90-minute mythological cycle occurs in a 25-foot-long reflecting pool. And while the exercise requires a good measure of watery flailing and frolicking, the most effective moments are the quiet ones.
Hunger (Courtney Patterson) consumes King Erysichthon (Brandon J. Dirden) in an orgy of gluttony. Hoping to seduce Pomona (Park Krausen), Vertumnus (Joe Knezevich) slips into a drag disguise reminiscent of a Monty Python skit. King Ceyx (Daniel May) battles the henchman of the underworld in a fight sequence that would make White Water’s lifeguards cringe.
But the most heartbreaking images are those of Orpheus (May) turning around to look at Eurydice (Crystal Dickinson); Cinyras (Chris Kayser) removing his blindfold to realize that he’s been in congress with his daughter (Kelley Ristow); and Alcyone (Krausen) and Ceyx being transformed into seabirds that mate during the halcyon days.
Designer Tim Conley has done a first-class job of constructing the pool, a black trapezoid framed by a purple-blue backdrop of shimmering stars and an Olympus-like peak. Christine Turbitt’s costumes are lovely to look at, though the queenly wigs and gowns sometimes seem a bit Evita-ish for this elemental staging. And lighting designers Liz Lee and Mike Post bathe the whole affair with a mixture of murky luminescence and crystalline clarity.
All that said, you sometimes sense that the cost of this highly technical process came at the expense of precision and detail. Songs have been added when spoken language would suffice, and the scene in which Orpheus performs a vocal number while being sprayed with a shower of water from above seems especially superflous. Finally, the whispering of lines at the end of the show is downright hokey.
While the acting is generally good, a few performances rise to the top. Knezevich continues to hand in the best work of his Atlanta career, and he’s particularly fine as Midas. Chris Ensweiler finds the perfect tone as the spoiled-rotten Phaeton. And though May is required to flit around in the nude with a pair of white-feathered wings attached to his back, he does it without the least bit of preciousness.
Theater-goers who arrive expecting a carbon copy of Zimmerman’s staging may be disappointed. But newcomers are certain to be captivated —- by the pool, yes, but also by the primal urgency of the stories. Again and again, love conquers death, and sorrow is subsumed by the undertow of time.
THE 411: 8 p.m Tuesdays-Sundays; 2 p.m. Sundays. Through Aug. 20. $15-$40. Contains nudity and adult situations. Presented by Georgia Shakespeare. Conant Performing Arts Center, Oglethorpe University, 4484 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-264-0020, www.gashakespeare.org.
The verdict: Doesn’t quite hit it, but often comes close.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Heidi Lavrik
August 1, 2006 11:08 AM | Link to this
To expect Georgia Shakespeare to produce a carbon copy of Mary Zimmerman’s NY production is to discredit them as unoriginal and lazy - which they most certainly are not! That is a fact that will be abundantly clear in the first moments after the stage lights come up - and even before when you see that set! - and even moreso when you leave the theatre with your heartstrings pulled and tangled, feeling both emotionally exhausted and exhilirated.
By Mollie Maxwell
August 1, 2006 5:25 PM | Link to this
Hokey? I think not. Moving? Definitely. Scenes from this production will stay with you for days because of the emotional intensity. Be prepared to be amazed by the set, acting, costumes, and most definitely the use of music.
By Melissa Myers
August 1, 2006 8:04 PM | Link to this
I’ve thought this reviewer missed the mark before, but now I’m sure!! When is the AJC going to hire a theater reviewer that’s competent? This is a brilliant production with nothing even coming close to it available in the usual below average Atlanta theater fare. Atlanta deserves better writing about the Arts than this misguided, show-offy tripe of a “review”. That being said, I’m so glad I saw this beautiful, moving and stunningly acted show. The tears shed at the end by the audience all around me, clamouring to their feet with applause and appreciation at the ending, tell me I’m not alone in how much I enjoyed the show. About the whispering that Mr. Brock says is ‘hokey’ at the end of the show, why does the character introducing that dialogue say to us “they whisper”…if the actors aren’t supposed to whisper?? Really AJC. Do better than this guy.
By Sydney Roberts
August 2, 2006 11:27 AM | Link to this
I couldn’t disagree more with the review of this show at GaShakes. Without a doubt, it has restored my faith in the power of the theatre. The company of actors—all ensemble players—told the stories with such love and simplicity, such simple human truth. The trust they shared with each other was apparent and was given to the audience as well. The production became, for me, an event that spoke to what the theatre is for: sharing stories of what it means to be human and embracing our humanity and finally, our divinity.
By Rick Engler
August 2, 2006 2:08 PM | Link to this
Mr Brock: Is that what you perceive the mission of Atlanta theatres to be? To re-create carbon copies of productions produced in New York and elsewhere? Even as a critic, you ought to expect more from the gifted artists of Atlanta and those that travel to Atlanta to express their craft.