THEATER
review: Homosexuality, abuse explored
in 'Faust'
Rude
Guerrilla Theater
By
Jack Schneider
On-line Forty-Niner
SANTA
ANA -- A naïve and self-abusive young
adult named Pete, played by Ryan Harris,
lifts his shirt on stage, and reveals
a series of tiny , jagged cuts splattered
all over his body.
This
event is only one of many controversial
elements that prevail in Mark Ravenhill's
contemporary drama "Faust is Dead,"
now playing at the Empire Theater.
Pete
meets up with a renowned, but troubled
homosexual philosopher Alain (Jay Michael).
With his book titled "The Death of
Man," Alain looks to Pete for casual
sex while Pete reluctantly gives in to
his sexuality.
From
then on, the two embark on a downward
spiral of experimenting with hallucinogens,
running away from the everyday hassle
of life, and the dream of getting rich
by using the power of computers and the
Internet.
Already,
"Faust is Dead" has become one
of the theater's most successful plays.
It's controversial messages, along with
the play's use of mixed mediums on stage,
such as Internet cams and recording cameras.
Dave
Barton, artistic director for "Faust
is Dead" said while the original
script included a death scene on a web-cam,
this version puts the violence right in
front of the audiences' eyes.
"When
[the play] toured England, the scenes
involving the boy who cuts himself on
the Internet," Barton said. His fairly
gruesome death scene was also on videotape."
Harris,
who is also a theater major at Cal State
Long Beach said the sex scene involving
his character and Alain took some getting
used to as an actor.
"I
thought it was the most courageous part,"
Harris said. "It took a lot of commitment.
I believe it stretched me as an actor.
You're not going to grow as an actor unless
you take chances."
Balancing
a busy schedule with rehearsals, plays,
school and work has been anything but
easy, he said.
"Theater
always been a passion for me. I'm 23-years-old,
and I've never been this busy in my life."
By
performing three days a week in "Faust
is Dead," Harris said the experience
of acting in a controversial and provocative
play has stuck a chord with audiences.
"Every night is different something
different happens, it's live theater,
anything can go. We had a few nights where
people gasped and cover their eyes,"
Harris said. " On Sunday this woman
came up and was in tears saying 'my son
cuts himself' and she left balling."
"Faust
is Dead" is a violently edgy feast
filled with vivid technology and high-octane
acting. Although the characters are radical
in behavior, they are nonetheless believable.
The
wild and controversial antics in "Faust
is Dead" may take a while to digest
after leaving the theater, but it shows
that even the stage can evoke a shock
value.
"You're
not going to see a Neil Simon play at
Rude Guerrilla," Harris said. "[The
theater] has the balls to put on these
type of shows."
"You're
not going to grow as an actor unless you
take chances."
-- Ryan Harris,
theater major
EVENTS
LISTING
What:
"Faust is Dead"
When: Now until November
Where: The Empire Theater 200 N. Broadway,
Santa Ana, CA.
Information: (714)547-4688
