Bliss--Defunkt Theatre—SE Portland

          “It’s All Greek To Me!”

    This dark comedy is written by Jami Brandli and directed by Sarah Armitage.  It is playing at their space (behind Coffee Grounds coffee shop), 4319 SW Hawthorne Blvd., through March 14^th.  For more information, go to their site at www.defunkttheatre.com

    This compares in intent to a film, dark comedy of a few years ago called, Pleasantville, which pictured a small town in the era of the 50’s, where everybody lived according to the sit-coms of the time, in a B&W (carboard), blissful existence, until an outsider intrudes on their idyllic atmosphere and brings “color” (passion) to their world.  Also, reminds me of the very good musical, Hairspray, and the film and book, The Help.  As well, of course, as the Greek tragedies of yesteryear, which is an underlying shadow to this story.

    The timing is right for Bliss in the era of the MeToo Movement and the mini-revolutions that are happening with the Youth on Environmental changes and stricter gun control laws.  The time of the play is just before our own social revolution of the 60’s, in a small town in New Jersey.

 

    Our hostess is Maddy (Ashley Mellinger), who dresses appropriate for a rich (frustrated) housewife of that time period, and has a tea party in which only two people come, her friend and confidant, Clementine (Gwendolyn Duffey), who is a bit of a rebel, and having an affair with her physician, Doctor Smith (John Corr).  And Antonia (Roxanne Stathos), a young teen, who she is also tutoring, in how to behave as a young lady, ala Emily Post, the goddess of etiquette in this time frame.  But into their lives appears a newbie in their village, a young, African-American lady, Cassandra (Jasmine Cottrell), who will put in motion a chain of events which will turn their lives upside down and inside out.

    A dual story that occurs at the same time, reflects their possible former guises in the Greek era of “gods and monsters.”  The premises then, is that our lives are pre-destined, as the Greeks believed, or do we have freedom of choice, to do as we please, and then Life becomes random, based on that.  And are we reincarnated, regenerated and/or regurgitated from a previous existence, to move forward toward an ultimate Purpose.  Those questions still linger today (unanswered). 

    My answer is that our souls may have had past lives and we are gaining insight into the Purpose of Life with each passing shadow of our spirit.  So, simply do the best you can with what you’ve been given and leave the world in a better state than you found it.  And that is, in part, the challenge that the author leaves us with, I believe…to question, research, discover and be adventurous.  Better said by Dr. Stephen Hawking: “Be brave, be curious, be determined.”

    This author, the director and the cast are perfect in posing these questions.  Anything that allows our minds to esplore our present state of being, is a good thing.  The characters are brilliantly rendered.  These are not easy people to portray, as they do have complexities in their being and have successfully drawn us into their lives.  Duffey (amazing as Sally in Fuse’s Cabaret), Mellinger, Stathos, Cottrell, and Corr are well-engrained in my mind…I can’t imagine any other actors doing justice to the roles as they do!

    I highly recommend this show.  If you do see it, please tell them Dennis sent you.

--DJS