To those seeking a romantic evening, don’t drag your significant other to the movies to see “The Wedding Date” when there is a tale of love, lust, greed and redemption being performed live right here in VCU.
“Metamorphoses” opened last Thursday to a sold-out crowd. Eager theater-goers filled the Singleton Center with buzzing with anticipation for what promised to be an eventful night. While many in the audience were friends and relatives of cast members, there were also people that were there simply to see a good VCU play.
“Metamorphoses” tells several stories from the ancient Greek transformation myths of Ovid. These tales have modern elements to them and reach out to all types of people.
The tales include the story of Midas, the foolish king who wishes all that he touches to turn to gold, and the story of Narcissus, a man of such vanity that he drowns while looking at his own reflection in the water.
The element that the play inherently brings is an amazing set design, in the center of which is a large pool of water. The theater is built like a coliseum so rather than having an elevated stage where the actors must project their voices out in one direction, the theater also has seating on either side of the stage area.
This presents difficulties with voice projection, but makes for a more intimate and inclusive theater going experience. The craftsmanship of the set was also wonderful. While trying to maintain the minimalist set design of Greek theater, the use of moving floors, giant metal skeletons of classical pillars and a beautiful painted backdrop that incorporated sliding panels, did not make the set feel empty.
All actors, seasoned or not, can run into problems when working in and around water. For the cast of “Metamorphoses” these problems did not visibly arise in any way. When in the water, the actors moved with as much fluidity as their surroundings. They made no hesitations in the transitions between land and water, as if they were engaged in an amphibious ballet.
While the actors’ movements were beautiful, their voice was another matter. The set design hampered their ability to project towards the entire audience. In many cases the actors spoke with their backs towards a certain seating section. At those points, it was hard to hear what they were saying, especially when accompanied by sound effects over the speaker system.
The acting itself was quite good, conveying all of the emotion, humor, and excitement one would expect out of a night at the theater. Although no actor stood out from the cast, together they had a chemistry that could not be duplicated elsewhere.
The short skit-style scenes and wide array of characters did not allow for one person to steal the show.
The use of modern stylistic elements in the ancient Greek myths made the play fun to watch. Classical language mixed with modern dress and culture played off one another to create something new.
When Phaeton, son of the god Apollo, describes his father allowing him to carry the Sun across the sky, he does so by speaking to a psychiatrist with a teenager’s animosity toward parental figures.
Ceyx and his crew meet their watery doom at the hands of the god, Poseidon when a sudden storm throws them off their ship. This is cleverly actualized by the storm waves being personified by swimmers clad in racing suits, goggles and caps, warming up for a race and then repeatedly tossing about the poor crew members.
Those wishing to take children to the play may want to reconsider. Although tastefully done, a few scenes of adult material may have younger viewers asking more questions than you are willing to answer. Even though Greek myth is inherently sexual, incestuous bumping and grinding may offend some viewers. Consider yourself warned.
All of the elements of this play come together to make a quite enjoyable experience.