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diversions
Lamarck zany beneath
its darkness
By Alisha Gomez
On-line Forty-Niner
There are many
professional actors and actresses in major productions that
blow people away every weekend. What is rare about "Lamarck"
is that it took place in the tiny Edison Theater in downtown
Long Beach.
Some of the finest actors cast a spell on the audience with
their mesmerizing performances. Most of them came from the
Cal Rep program and the MFA program at Cal State Long Beach.
The story begins with the young doctor, Alpheus (John Henry
Mellies), in search of finding out the story of evolutionist
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck for a book Alpheus is writing.
Only one woman can tell the story of Lamarck's life: Lamarck's
daughter, Cornelie (Callan White). The problem is that Cornelie
is somewhat mentally ill. She spent her entire life locked
up in her father's laboratory, never seeing daylight and living
a childhood with friends and other people involved in her
life.
The constant battle between Lamarck's theories and Cornelie's
rebuttals to them highlights the untruth in his theories and
forces the audience to derive their own conclusions about
Lamarck's theories.
One highlight was a scene when the young Lamarck went to interview
a scientist known as Buffon (Craig Fleming), who was so odd
and hilarious at the same time, the audience could not help
but simultaneously laugh and be dismayed.
Perhaps it is Alphaeus' na•ve viewpoint of the great
Lamarck that presents him as a young, eager, and innocent
book writer, or so we think.
As the story unravels, we learn more about Lamarck's theories,
and his life. What the audience sees is a story of a somewhat
mad scientist, a disturbed daughter and perhaps theories of
human behavior and our evolution.
It was like no other play. It was disturbing, dramatic, and
unbelievable. The ending left the audience with so many questions.
Mouths dropped. Whispering began and everyone left with a
sense of being stunned.
The talented cast shined during their performance. White gave
a phenomenal performance as Cornelie. With a long list of
credits, she is not new to the theater. White was so convincing
that you felt as if you were right there with her, experiencing
everything she experienced.
She drew the audience in with a moving display of acting.
When she came on stage, all eyes were on her.
Mellies played the perfect role of the young, clueless doctor,
Alpheus. He evoked sympathy by making the audience want him
to see what they already know. Mellies is in his third year
in Cal Rep, and he has performed in several plays: "Much
Ado about Nothing," "The Third Lie," "The
Colonel Bird," and "Knights of the Round Table."
Fleming was great as the crazy scientist Buffon. He livened
the play up so much that for a few moments the audience forgot
about the dark side of the production. Fleming has acted and
directed at the South Coast Repertory, Shakespeare Orange
County, the Coronet Theatre, the Laguna Playhouse and Performance
Riverside.
A hint to all future viewers: keep an eye on the window and
watch the seasons changing. It is symbolic of the time changing
and the moment's feel the actors are in.
Lamarck will continue at Edison Theatre until Oct. 13.
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Keith
Ian Polakoff
Lamarck, Ashley Carr Jr., on left, and young
Cornelie, Tannis Hanson, give a riveting performance.
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