Cavalia: Odysseo

Elise Verdoncq and Omerio. Photo courtesy Cavalia and Dan Harper.

Created in 2003 by Cirque du Soleil co-founder Normand Latourelle, the troupe Cavalia combines intricate human acrobatics with complex equine performances featuring dozens of trained horses in the lavish custom settings. Their recent touring show Odysseo is a melding of visual delight and incredible precision, simultaneously evoking a fantasy dreamscape and the horse-riding cultures of the world. The performance continually exceeds its own standards for what’s possible in human and equestrian motion, never settling to simply meet audience expectations.

Normally, descriptions of the technical theatre go near the end of a Theatre and Bites review, but because Odysseo’s performances are so profoundly tied to its venue, the subject deserves to be mentioned first. The show takes place in a gigantic white tent that can be seen from the highway, featuring a curved proscenium stage several times bigger than that of Bay Area regional theatres. Because of its size and subtle lighting, the space almost seems like watching a show outside. The stage itself tilts to create the illusion of great distance, which provides a sense of vastness and glory.

Odysseo consists of fourteen scenes; almost all feature its four-legged performers. These scenes can almost be seen as an introduction to the spectrum of horse performance, with riders enacting deliberate, precise dressage routines at one moment and performing wild Cossack riding acrobatics the next. The scenes don’t simply hew to formal notions of equestrian skill, either: “The Odyssey,” which opens Odysseo’s second act, opens with horses lying prone and slowly bonding with their handlers before joining together into the spectacular choreography of a Liberty performance.

Though all of the scenes are gorgeous, the very best are the two at the end: “The Great Adventure” and the grand finale, “Odysseo.” Without giving too much away, “Great Adventure” begins with a quiet, captivating solo performance by Elise Verdoncq, riding Lusitano horse Omerio, as the front of the stage fills with a shallow layer of water. This water, though no great impediment to human or horse, adds a layer of spectacle to the daring, adventurous routines about to unfold.

The inclusion of horses adds an interesting dash of uncertainty to a performance art that is almost robotically precise with only human dancers. The horses are well trained and talented, but they are still animals and possess their own habits and idiosyncrasies. (I saw the aforementioned Omerio try to sip some water out of a groove in the stage at the end of “The Great Adventure.”) The broad staging and ensemble of Odysseo allows audience members to follow a horse that particularly interests them, which adds a nice touch to the theatrical experience.

Cavalia’s Odysseo is a lavish, incredibly well choreographed performance piece that combines the best work of human and horse alike. It provides an evening of stunning visuals, uplifting themes, and a glimpse at the connection between species that has existed since the dawn of civilization. For people drawn to the performing arts for aesthetics as much as they are for a well-crafted script, Odysseo is a must-see.

Theatreworks: Life of the Party

London cast. Photo courtesy CB-PR and Alastair Muir. 

While most well known for his Broadway hits Big Fish and The Addams Family, lyricist and composer Andrew Lippa has created a wide portfolio of theatrical projects, many of which received productions at Theatreworks over the years. Life of the Party, running at the theatre company’s Mountain View venue, collects the best of Lippa’s songs in a revue tied together by his recollections of the writing process.

Lippa himself is the main character of the show, performing on the piano and in song. In between numbers, he displays a ringmaster-like wit, joking around with the audience and playing on their expectations of how to behave during a concert. The production feels less like a parade of Lippa’s greatness and more like a private performance after dinner: He laughs, he jokes, and at times he’s vulnerable.  The rest of the cast has serious experience: Damian Humbley worked on Sondheim shows in the West End, Teal Wicks was Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway, and Sally Ann Triplett has a number of top-level accolades to her name.

The songs themselves vary from goofy to heartfelt, from innocent to raunchy, and from Lippa’s most established musicals to numbers from shows he never finished. Included near the end of the show is a preview from his adaptation of classic children’s book The Man in the Ceiling, a taste of something that might arrive at TheatreWorks in the future. There’s something for everyone in Life of the Party, whether they prefer songs with complex lyrical structure, satisfying scoring and instrumentation, or just a fun theme and jokes.

Morgan Large’s set reflects the mélange of shows and influences present in the revue. Numerous objects and pictures, including a loving portrait of Lippa’s artistic idol Stephen Sondheim, decorate the multi-story shelves bracing the stage. They light up when songs from their relevant show comes onstage, but even without emphasis, their presence tempts people familiar with Lippa’s work as to the numbers to come. More than anything, the technical work takes advantage of the way live theatre presents multiple places for the audience to pay attention.

Life of the Party at Theatreworks collects the composing and performing talent of Andrew Lippa in a fun and glamorous revue. If you’re looking for an evening of fun without much structure, want to acquaint yourself with the works of a Bay Area musical theatre steadfast, or especially if you’re already a fan of his, the show is definitely worth checking out.

Theatreworks: Confederates

Left to right: Tasha Lawrence, Jessica Lynn Carol, Richard Prioleau. Photo courtesy Kevin Berne.

Though there are many political thrillers in the world of theatre, not many describe the surreal experiences of journalists on the campaign trail. Suzanne Bradbeer’s Confederates, premiering at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, uses this setting to examine the nature of scandal, journalism’s role in modern politics, and whether it’s more important to be first or to be right.

Three characters are present in the play: Maddie (Jessica Lynn Carroll), the daughter of a long-shot Presidential candidate, and the two journalists covering her and her family. Will (Richard Prioleau) has a personal connection with Maddie, and Stephanie (Tasha Lawrence) has a Type-A personality and a burning desire to get the scoop. Caroll portrays Maddie as likeable with an ignorant streak, perhaps similar to the main character of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. While the play centers on Maddie’s major gaffe, the audience can safely believe that what she did was not out of malice.

Maddie despises Stephanie and only talks to Will, who then talks to Stephanie. This makes Will the only connection between his fellow journalist and the woman they are both writing about. As Will, Prioleau interprets his stage time with each of the other actors differently: He’s collected and mature around the childish Maddie, but a little goofier and able to deliver jokes to Stephanie when she’s around to act as a foil. Lawrence is great at becoming the archetypical career woman as Stephanie, but adds a third dimension to the character through her love of the political game and her adoration of the intelligent, erudite candidate she’s covering.

Andrew Boyce’s set, modern with lots of glass and bold colors like the set of a cable news show, is, without doubt, one of the best TheatreWorks sets I’ve seen. It serves the needs of the production’s numerous locations, including buses and hotel rooms, while tying everything together in something slick and modern. This evokes the political themes of the play without beating the audience over the head with symbolism.

With instant access to a flood of news from large, faceless websites, it’s easy to forget the process that goes into delivering it. Confederates at Theatreworks takes a fascinating look into this life, portraying journalists not as marionettes holding cameras, but as real people who sometimes let their feelings get in the way. If you enjoy plays about politics, but want a fresh perspective on the climb to the top, Confederates is worth a watch.

California Shakespeare Theater: Fences

Left to right: Aldo Billingslea, Margo Hall. Photo courtesy California Shakespeare Theater.

August Wilson’s work was instrumental in the promotion of African-American theatre, and his Pulitzer-winning Fences, which depicts a family reacting to their patriarch’s slow disintegration, could be considered Wilson’s masterpiece. Director Raelle Myrick-Hodges’ rendition of this classic tale of pain, anger, and loss, currently playing at California Shakespeare Theater does justice to Wilson’s language and characters. Under her direction, the play’s themes are explored partially using a framework of women’s issues discovered within the text.

Central to the story of Fences is Troy Maxson, a former baseball player and current garbage man who stands in the pantheon of American theatre’s deepest, most complex characters. Aldo Billingslea, a cornerstone of the Bay Area acting community, interprets Troy as a character desperate to believe that he is the hero of his own story. Troy is willing to do anything, from telling fanciful tales about wrestling with Death to exaggerating his children’s failings, to reinforce his belief that he is the sole good person in a world full of evildoers. As he falls over the course of the play and fewer people believe in or respect him, he works harder than ever to convince himself of his own lies. Billingslea’s Troy is not necessarily sympathetic, but he is, in his own way, understandable.

Margo Hall plays Rose, Troy’s wife; in the program, director Myrick-Hodges notes that she had been confused and angered for decades at what seemed like Rose’s eternal tolerance of her undeserving husband. Under Myrick-Hodges’ direction, Rose’s willingness to forgive becomes a major part of her character arc, while she maintains a high status throughout the play, refusing to defer to Troy. Her actions don’t indicate subservience or undue loyalty as much as an unshakable moral compass and a desire to do what’s right. Myrick-Hodges integrates the theme of forgiveness throughout the play, interspersing interviews with local women about the subject during scene changes.

Troy’s two children process living with him differently from each other: Thirty-four-year-old Lyons (Lance Gardner) has mostly cut ties and only drifts in to borrow or repay money, while teenage Cory (J. Alphonse Nicholson) has to balance his dreams of college football with living under his disillusioned father’s rule. Gardner’s Lyon is slick and friendly, but still shows a hidden honesty and vulnerability – indeed, his façade isn’t something he cares about maintaining among his family but rather something he picked up as a musician. Nicholson’s Cory defers to his father throughout much of the play, but he also pierces Troy’s lies most deeply, and he switches from innocence into outrage seamlessly.

The rest of the cast is equally stellar. Guiesseppe Jones plays Troy’s best friend Bono; whereas Troy slowly descends into paranoia over the course of the play, Bono behaves roughly the same way he did at the beginning, serving as an emotional baseline that contrasts with Troy’s descent. Troy’s brother Gabriel (Donald E. Lacy, Jr.), suffering from brain damage, acts as both the subtle supernatural element present in many Wilson plays and as proof that there is some good within Troy – even at his worst, Troy always treats him with kindness. Most commendable is Lacy’s precise body language, with intense gazes and trumpet-playing hand gestures showing his eagerness to blast open the gates of Heaven.

The technical side of the production is subtle yet clever. One of the challenges in producing Fences at Cal Shakes’ outdoor venue is confining a stage graced with a wide view of California’s rolling hills into the Maxson’s tiny property in the Pittsburgh suburbs. Scenic designer Michael Locher accomplishes this by barricading a tiny, screened-in cube of a house between the titular fence and a series of dusty patio furniture. With the exits covered, and much of the action taking place center stage, the set conveys the barrier Troy has chosen to create between his family and the outside world. Costumes (Alina Bokovikova) are time-period appropriate, but the children’s clothing is fresher and more modern than those of their parents, hinting at both economic circumstances and Cory’s yet-uncovered potential.

Fences at California Shakespeare Theater is a breathtaking rendition of one of August Wilson’s greatest works. Director Raelle Myrick-Hodges reinterprets major themes in the play, choosing to illustrate Rose’s difficult decisions, bringing her further into the spotlight and giving the production a fresh perspective.

Note: Actor Aldo Billingslea was my professor at Santa Clara University.

Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2016: Great Expectations

Left to right: Nemuna Ceesay, Benjamin Bonenfant. Photo courtesy Jenny Graham and Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

The works of Charles Dickens are classic melodramas, full of unlikely situations, emotions running high, and characters writ larger than life. It’s surprising, then, that stage adaptations aren’t more common. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s premiere adaptation of Great Expectations, directed by co-adapter Penny Metropulous, does the work – and Dickens – justice with strong themes and a stellar cast.

In keeping with Dickens’ novel, the adaptation of Great Expectations features extraordinary twists of fate, such as sudden changes in status and reputation: The main character, Pip (Benjamin Bonenfant), transforms from abused orphan to aspiring gentleman thanks to an unlikely benefactor. Bonenfant accurately captures Pip’s character in the midst of this whirlwind, more mutable and prone to error than, say, Oliver Twist, but still possessing a heart and a capacity for change.

The other characters can be divided between realistic, sympathetic comrades to Pip and larger-than-life caricatures. Among the former is Nemuna Ceesay’s Estella, who, although she claims her sole mission in life is to break men’s hearts, acts with a cold sympathy. Ceesay’s performance demonstrates to the audience both the repercussions of Pip’s elevation into the upper class and the integrity required to continue with her life choices, even when she knows they won’t make her happy. Herbert Pocket (Dylan Paul), as well, is a relatively grounded character, whose willingness to remain by Pip’s side throughout the play’s tribulations is nothing less than heartwarming.

In the latter camp lie characters like Pip’s abusive sister Mrs. Joe (Amy Newman), his pompous great-uncle Pumblechook (Brent Hinkley), and church clerk/aspiring actor Mr. Wopsle (Cristofer Jean). Rather than being well developed themselves, these characters9 support the characterization of Pip: They possess opinions solely to go against those of Pip’s, and, by association, the audience’s. That said, it takes significant comic talent to make these characters funny instead of enraging, and all three of the actors pull it off.

There are two people who have a hard time fitting into either category: the escaped convict Magwitch (Derrick Lee Weeden) and Miss Havisham (Judith-Marie Bergan), one of literature’s most famous widows. Dickens’ supporting characters are typically stereotypes; however, Weeden plays a nuanced Magwitch, exuding a feeling of danger and unpredictability even as he treats Pip kindly. Bergan’s Havisham, too, is ever-changing, moving from genuinely friendly to Pip one second to crazed sorrow the next. Her acting is at once scary, intricate, and fascinating.

Similar to works by director Mary Zimmerman (Treasure Island, The White Snake), which use minimal sets to better switch between multiple scenes, set designer Collette Pollard created a relatively featureless stage with dark colors to suit the wide variety of locations present in the play. The set doesn’t make any grand statements, but its use of space and pattern creates a vague air of tension and peril. Small candles scattered over the back wall allude to the mourning that has pervaded Pip’s life, as well as the light of hope that suddenly appears in front of him.

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s adaptation of Great Expectations is an ideal form for experiencing Dickens. Dickens has developed a reputation for being long and complicated, yet the stage adaptation is easy to follow despite its numerous twists and turns. For people unaccustomed to reading Victorian literature, it serves as a great introduction to a legendary author.

Part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2016 season.