|
O.J.
Simpson in news again with CSULB's ‘My
Medea'
"My
Medea," starring James Paul Dadzie
and Danielle Dauphinee, is a modern take
on the Greek play by Euripides. The play
is being performed at the Players Theatre
through March 19. Keith Ian Polakoff
By
Katie De Boer
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer
Euripides'
"Medea," rewritten by Susan Hansell
as "My Medea," retells the story
of a jealous celebrity husband who killed
his cheating wife in spite of her willingness
to leave him.
"My
Medea" not only familiarizes a 3,000-year-old
play into the 21st century, it also depicts
the 1995 criminal trial of O. J. Simpson
and the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson.
The
play, directed by Craig Flemming, is currently
being performed by 18 actors from Cal State
Long Beach at the Players Theatre on campus.
"My
Medea" is a short companion piece to
the California Repertory Company production
of Euripides' "Medea," guest directed
by David Bridal. Cal Rep's "Medea"
is currently playing at the Edison Theatre
through March 12.
The
characters in "My Medea" were
inspired by the original Greek play, though
Hansell elaborated their anger and hatred
through excessive use of profanity. "My
Medea," is a fabulously written and
entertaining modern play where the actors
turn true emotions into life threatening
actions.
The
character M.J. Medea is an actor who has
built his lasting empire within society.
When he becomes involved with the law he
pays his way out of it, even when it concerns
the self-inflicted battery of his wife.
A chorus of L.A. men builds his self-esteem
while dancing around the stage with defiantly
painted blue, black and white faces. They
echo M.J. Medea's words and place him high
on a pedestal. They not only keep M.J. Medea
satisfied by reinforcing his sanity but
they also encourage him about the unfaithfulness
of his wife, as well as all women. As M.J.
Medea's anger builds, his death-threatening
behavior becomes more prevalent and he spends
most of his time thinking of ways to avenge
his wife.
Mrs.
Medea, the bearer of M.J. Medea's children,
comes forth and not only demands the utmost
respect from M.J. but full custody of the
children and half of his fortune. As M.J.
screams at her deceitfulness, he declares
to never allow her to take their children
or his money. After M.J. kills her, he proclaims
his freedom while the media catch him red-handed.
Overall,
the production of "My Medea" was
utterly amazing. The actors, especially
the chorus men, kept all their words in
sync while maintaining the repetition of
sentences and story structure. James Paul
Dadzie (M.J. Medea) plays a charming yet
deceitful character while Danielle Dauphinee,
who played Mrs. Medea, portrays not only
an amazing Nicole Brown Simpson look-alike
but also a crazed and determined woman destined
to find freedom from her abusive husband.
Although the language was definitely not
PG-13 and the scenes had very sexual innuendos,
the audience was enthralled.
The
setting was simple, almost too simple. The
stage had a single backdrop, which was creative
in depicting materialistic women from magazines.
The actors wore bright fashionable cloths
and creative clear facial masks that distorted
their facial expressions. The strobe lighting,
loud sirens and dimmers sustained the audience.
There
was much emotion displayed throughout this
play and each actor did it inexplicably.
From the inner struggles of family displayed
so well by M.J. Medea and his wife to the
reinforcing chorus and media players, a
true-life saga was demonstrated.
"My
Medea" will be playing through March
19 in the Players Theatre located on south
campus. For show times and ticket information
call (562) 985-5526 or visit the department
Web site at www.csulb.edu/dept/theatre/.
|
