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| Photo by Kyle Delamarter |
“The Illusion of Reality”
This Premiere, dark comedy, is written by Jerry Mouawad and Drew Pisarra, and directed and designed by Mouawad, and produced by Carol Triffle. It plays through October 22nd at Imago’s space, 17 SE 8th Ave. (off E. Burnside). Parking can be an issue, so plan your time accordingly. Recommended for 16 and up. For more information, contact them at www.imagotheatre.com or call
503-231-9581.
The above quote is
from Tennessee Williams, speaking about plays.
And, if you add Mr. Shakespeare to that thought process, “All the
world’s a stage…” and we are simply actors upon it. So, are we actually in a play ourselves and,
thus, an illusion?! And, perhaps, add to
that perspective, the writer of “Zorba, the Greek” espouses, that everybody
needs a little madness…to keep us sane (yikes!). Keep those thoughts in mind as you experience
this play.
Once Upon a Time, in
this dark, underbelly per-version of a, perhaps, apocalyptic, fairy-tale, there
reposed on a myriad of mattresses, a princess called “Cynthia” (Anne Sorce),
who was an insomniac (not because of a pea at the bottom of her bed, but a symbolic
time-bomb).
Her “castle” was
littered with boxes, as if she had just moved in (or was just to move
out?). Among her “belongings” was also a
mute servant (more a like a ghostly image of her soul), named Solo (Sam
Gordon)…a confidant, protector, instigator, and a little puppet of seemingly Eastern
European origin, a gypsy (voiced by Sorce and designed & carved by
Mouawad), called Whip.
These three will
rail against the elements together, in a cacophony of sounds and gestures, to
discover the reason for their being here and, perhaps, the author of their
plight, as she senses she is being…watched, and that this might be an
experiment, an “installation” for someone else’s amusement. But, if that’s the case, and one is looking
out into the Void, it must perchance mean, the Void is looking at you! (A perfect Halloween tale, perhaps).
As you can see, I
can’t really tell you the plot, as it would be a Spoiler, if I did. These are only my perceptions. It is more important that you decide for
yourselves the meaning. But the play is
peppered with Shakespearean overtones, I believe, such as, The Tempest and King
Lear. Also, aspects of Pirandello and
the great English playwrights, Pinter, and Beckett, as the search for the
meaning of Life…and Death.
Mouawad (and his pen
pal, Pisarra) have created a tunnel of words and images to boggle the mind and
disturb the soul. The pathway is not
meant to lead you to answers or home, but only to more questions, which will
then open up venues for your own windmills of your mind. As always, Mouawad (and Triffle) productions
are, indeed, the leading edge of innovative theatre!
Sorce is amazing in the dual (voiced) role of Cynthia and Whip. My friend remarked, how can she keep all that straight in her head. The simple(?) answer is that she is the best of the breed of actors, which all artists aspire to!...Bravo!
And Gordon is a
brilliant mimist/dancer/clown and adds miles to the fluidity of the
production. Mouawad’s Whip is a work of
Art! And the sound design, by Kyle
Delamarter, is jarring, sounding at times like a rat gnawing his way out of a
box.
I highly recommend
this show. If you do see it, please tell
them Dennis sent you.
__DJS
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