THEATRE REVIEW:
KPBS
AIRDATE: January 24, 2003
It's a good week for contemplating the
past. At North Coast Repertory Theatre,
there's "Stories About the Old Days," a nostalgic 1986 two-hander
about a couple of aging African Americans trying to heal from the errors of
their youth. At 6th @ Penn Theatre, the emotions and stakes are high
and the history is ancient. "Hippolytos," written by Euripides in 428
B.C., also concerns love and self-hatred, but it throws in family curses and
the anger of the gods. Though enormously disparate, and separated by 2500
years, both plays have to do with fate and free will, culpability and
responsibility.
The recent play by Bill Harris was
staged at the late, lamented Blackfriars Theatre a dozen years ago. TJ Johnson
fits into this role as comfortably as the threadbare sweater he's wearing. He
does the wise and quick-witted elderly gent with ease and agility, and a
naturalness that's hard to resist. Here, he's met head-on by a much-younger
Monique Gaffney. She rises to the challenge quite credibly, as a brittle
church-lady whose prissiness gives way to redemption and relationship, softened
by cheeky banter and a checkers playoff. The play seems like a gentler, kinder,
black version of D.L. Coburn's 1977 "The Gin Game." It's a sweet
story and a pleasant production, nicely designed, simply directed.
There's nothing sweet about
"Hippolytos," except maybe the title character. His unforgivable
error is his unswerving devotion to Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt.
This enrages Aphrodite, jealous goddess of love, who takes vengeance on
Hippolytos and his whole family -- forcing his stepmother to fall in love with
him and his father to banish him. Passion and revulsion do a deadly dance in
this tale of fathers and sons, husbands and wives, rumors and truths, and most
of all, where we place the blame for our actions and their consequences.
At 6th @ Penn, director Marc
Overton has wisely chosen to keep the proceedings simple, highlighting the
inexorable decline and decay by keeping the focus on the lush language, in this
clear and comprehensible translation by Kenneth Cavandar. Celeste Innocenti stands out as both the
goddesses, and John P. Silva is potent and pitiful as the grieving husband and
infuriated father, King Theseus. Laurie Lehmann-Gray and Diep Huynh have strong
moments as the tortured mother Phaedra and her son Hippolytos. But what we
remember most is the story, the twists of fate, the timeless relevance. Kudos
to Linda Castro and David Cohen, for significantly enriching our lives by
bringing us the Greek masterpieces, in all their glory.
©2003
Patté Productions Inc.