Geography of a
Horse Dreamer
Written by Sam Shepard
Directed by Carlo Lorenzo Garcia
Angel Island Theatre, 735 W. Sheridan (map)
thru Oct 28 | tickets: $15-$25 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
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Characters become lost in caricature
Mary-Arrchie Theatre presents
Geography of a Horse Dreamer
Review by Joy Campbell
In Sam Shepard’s Geography of a Horse Dreamer we encounter again Shepard’s ear for the raw, the absurd, the violent. A disturbing, moody pre-set gives us a young man asleep and chained to a bed while surreal equine images play on the wall above his head in a mesmerizing dream sequence. When the show opens, we discover that the man, Cody, has been kidnapped from his home in Wyoming so that his psychic powers for predicting winning horses can be exploited by a man known to us only as Fingers. Cody’s gift has dimmed, however (the suggestion is that his removal from his home as well as his subsequent relocations have adversely affected him), and he and the two thugs assigned to guard him wait in a seedy, claustrophobically boarded-up motel room, where tensions and desperation build.
As with a dream, the play has its own internal logic, and we accept the surreal circumstances and premise (this gangster has dozens of dreamers locked up all over the place, making money for him; think Minority Report, with bookies). Cody is ordered to switch his focus to dog racing, and the resulting success takes its toll on his mind as he overloads on the unfamiliar psychic input.
The work of Sam Shepard is challenging for both actor and audience, but when well done is worth the ride. The key is playing to the truth in his characters; in Mary-Arrchie’s production, unfortunately, more is played to caricature than character. There are types written here, to be sure, but even types can be believable people.
Gavin Robinson is a competent Cody, the young, naïve child of the plains, longing only for sunlight and home, and spiraling into madness. Rudy Galvin brings depth and sensitivity to henchman Beaujo, who alone empathizes with the prisoner’s plight. As head thug Santee, Mark Vallarta starts off as a volatile, temper-losing hothead, leaving him little place to go but to greater and greater histrionics, which diffuse any dramatic tension with jarring slapstick. Kevin Stark plays a surprisingly empathetic boss man Fingers, portrayed here as a flamboyant gay man. While he is entertaining, his character is incongruous with the persona whose name alone evokes such terror in the first act, and his over-the-top style comes across as a tired play for humor. It is Matt Rockwood’s Doctor who, while somewhat one-note, nevertheless brings some much-needed tension to the second act with his creepy portrayal of a gruesome trophy hunter.
The plot’s progression goes to hallmark Shepard extremes; when combined with broad acting, the story becomes flat, losing opportunity for some good interaction. This is not a script to shoot for easy laughs, and it seems at times that director Carlo Lorenzo Garcia doesn’t know whether to make it funny or dark. I really enjoyed the script, but the production only scratches at the surface of its possibilities.
Rating: ★★½
Geography of a Horse Dreamer continues through October 28th at Angel Island Theatre, 735 W. Sheridan (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays 7pm. Tickets are $15-$25, and are available by phone (773.871.0442) or online through TicketWeb.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at MaryArrchie.com. (Running time: 85 minutes, includes an intermission)
Photos by Emily Schwartz
artists
cast
Simon Ahmed (Jasper); Bill Daniel (Waiter); Rudy Galvan (Beaujo); Christopher Meister (Jason); Gavin Robinson (Cody); Matt Rockwood (Doctor); Kevin Stark (Fingers); Mark Vallarta (Santee)
behind the scenes
Carlo Lorenzo Garcia (director); Amanda Rozmiarek (set); Claire Sangster (lighting); Stefin Steberl (costumes); Ryan Bourque (fight design); Gaby Labotka (prop, asst. director); Laura Oleska (sound design); Michelle Underwood (projections); Dereck Garner (tech direction); Casey Peek (stage management); Emily Schwartz (photos)
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