Wave of the Past
Actors Bridge dives into an inventive update of Ovid’s myths with mixed results
by Martin Brady
In Metamorphoses, Mary Zimmerman’s imaginative rendering of the myths of Ovid, water is the unifying metaphor—a symbol of love, renewal, stormy relationships, the essence of life. The new Actors Bridge Ensemble production highlights the play’s most obviously theatrical element to great effect. The company has installed a decent-sized pool at their Neuhoff site performing space, suitable for wading, swimming and also for acting. Audience members sitting close enough to the action can (and probably will) experience the water firsthand, especially in the Scene 2 tale of ill-fated lovers Alcyone and Ceyx, complete with desperate sailors fighting the fury of the sea god Poseidon.
Don Griffiths’ set design is nothing if not striking. The pool is a dominant piece of stagecraft, its utter simplicity belying what is a fairly impressive technical achievement. The play’s themes are significantly enhanced by the enchanting waters, and the cast of 12 courageously cavort in them throughout, enacting eight classical tales of passion, conflict and folly that fill approximately 90 minutes of uninterrupted action.
The Neuhoff site’s typically stripped-down ambience benefits from some fine high-tech lighting, designed by Richard Davis, which works together with actress Pru Clearwater and director Bill Feehely’s original music to lend an exciting sheen to the atmosphere.
Feehely moves his players around and through the pool with daring, efficiency and creativity, and the actors deserve boatloads of credit for embracing this rare opportunity. Acting on land is challenge enough, but adding water awareness (and safety) to the nightly regimen demands heightened consciousness and focus.
Make no mistake—the seaworthy gimmickry is compelling. Yet it alone can’t sustain an evening of theater that demands of thespians good declamatory skills and a fresh understanding of Zimmerman’s updates of ancient fables, including, among others, King Midas, Orpheus and Eurydice, and Eros and Psyche.
The sensual Gabrielle Saliba kicks off the proceedings with an amazing Mediterranean-influenced dance. She undulates emotively along the pool’s edge before disappearing into its waters, not to be seen again until her next stage entrance. This entertaining trick happens a few times during the performance. But, despite some interesting and lucid moments—and the earthy presence of Ann Manning and Rebecca Robbins—the initial five scenes get sidetracked much of the time by mediocre performances. Chris Scheele and Steve Sandfort, in particular, only scratch the surface of the thrust of their words.
Also disappointing is Colleen Egan, who handles some critical narrative passages with obvious intelligence but never really brings the text to life. Her reading comes off too academic and, despite the setting, surprisingly dry.
There are still scenes of uniform excellence. Zak Risinger teams with Clearwater to make for a humorous Pomona and Vertumnus. (Risinger’s also funny in an earlier scene as a Bacchus in sunglasses.) David Berry is terrific as Phaeton, lounging on a raft while getting down with his shrink—he’s got issues with dad Apollo. These segments are the most successful at realizing Zimmerman’s attempts to fuse the old with the new.
Veteran Brian Webb Russell offers his usual workmanlike approach to lofty language, and Rebekah Durham laces a few speeches with energy, though she’s an actress capable of a more fiery performance. ABE semi-regular Tom Mason is on hand as well, primarily in the role of Midas, whose tale is probably too familiar to rise above predictability, the company’s game efforts notwithstanding. He’s also the narrator of the story of Erysichthon, a task he pulls off with efficiency but muted presence.
Without question, ABE has managed to one-up John Holleman and Company’s local production earlier this year, which was elevated spiritually yet constrained physically by its Parthenon setting. At Neuhoff, Feehely and his minions successfully merge with the elements, and their fearless approach puts them on target to make a huge dramatic splash. It certainly happens sometimes, and those moments alone are worth the price of admission. Still, the play’s strong early pace becomes hampered by unsure acting and rote performances that threaten to leave the viewer grasping for meaning and metaphorical clarity. Luckily, momentum is fully regained with Berry’s Phaeton, and from there it’s smoother sailing.
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