Good
acting not enough to save Cal Rep play
By Christine G. Adamo
On-line Forty-Niner
The
California Repertory Company opened its
2002-2003 season with “Ivana, Princess of
Burgundia” at the Edison Theatre in downtown
Long Beach on Sept. 27.
Were it not for the efforts of a few stand-out
cast members in key roles, last Thursday’s
performance would have been a complete disappointment.
Any social significance or entertainment
value the play may have was lost amid problems
with inconsistencies in costuming and dialogue
that kept it from establishing a foothold
in the present by confusing the audience
with mixed-period messages.
Rory Cowan, as Prince Philip, did succeed
in bringing the main character to life with
intonation and a robust performance.
Craig Flemming, as the King, and Lauren
Thompson, as the Queen, also served the
satire well. Their ability to project their
voices and punctuate bland text with well-timed
facial expressions won them a well-deserved
round of applause by the end.
Tannis Hanson deserves credit for her ability
to keep quiet and mope around aimlessly
as Princess Ivana but next time give the
poor girl a few more lines and a cup of
soup. The silence and lack of motion that
surrounded her on stage made it plausible
that the rest of the cast, mesmerized by
her freshly-shaven head and ghostly complexion,
had simply forgotten their lines.
Many of the hairpieces were in need of a
combing. The costumes crossed centuries
from the early 17th to late 19th. I find
it hard to believe that a well-appointed
costume shop is nonexistent in this city,
or unwilling to lend out proper costuming
for a good cause or publicity.
Overall, “Ivana, Princess of Burgandia”
was delivered in dialogue and actions that
seemed too closely associated with each
individual actor’s preference and interests.
Some spoke in Shakespearean tones. Others
spouted one-liners in a modern-day manner
more befitting of a screen test for “Baywatch”
or “Ally McBeal.”
The set design did support the play’s underlying
themes of malicious intent and manipulation.
The stage, set in the middle of the theater,
was home to a modular maze lit at four corners
and in the center by pawn-shaped fixtures
that reinforced Ivana’s disposable position
within the Burgundian community.
The play was originally penned by Polish
novelist, dramatist and short-story writer
Witold Gombrowicz in 1952. I give Thursday
night’s interpretation a D.
|
