Sandalwood
Written by Dan Caffrey
Directed by Aaron Henrickson
at Side Project Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis (map)
thru April 20 | tickets: $15-$20 | more info
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Amalgamation of styles and stories makes for one strange brew
Tympanic Theatre and Side Project Theatre presents
Sandalwood
Review by Kat Hey
This is a show that gave me pause. The press release reads that Sandalwood is a blend of Classic Western Cinema, Cormac McCarthy, and Pinocchio. It is true for all of the aforementioned and it is one strange brew.
The action of this world premiere begins in a desolate inn on the edge of a dying western town. The characters are an atavistic bunch living in an eerie and magical anarchy. The Father (Sean Thomas) walks into the saloon and is confronted by the Innkeeper (Scott Stockwell). Stockwell washes a bar glass with spit and Father continues to drink the rotgut he has been served. This small sequence sets the tone for all of the characters. They are not only lawless, but perhaps not human. The Innkeeper relates that the Son (Anthony Stamillio) has been through his establishment and has wiped out most of the population in town. He describes The Son as a wooden skeleton under a duster coat – a deviant soul who has also defiled the Innkeeper’s daughter, The Girl in Blue (Jillian Rea).
The Father is given permission to speak with The Girl in Blue. Rea sits in an empty room save for a chair. She is dressed quite demurely and tells Father of her experiences with The Son. She describes The Son as an otherworldly experience with a mouth filled with a forest that turns to petrified wood. He gives her a clock to hang on her wall as a form of apology for The Son’s transgressions. The mystery deepens when The Girl in Blue claims to be with child.
Father continues on his journey, and the clock starts ticking adding more mystery. The only other inhabitants of this desolate hell are two prostitutes, Farm Fox Maggie (Susan Myburgh) and Kat O’ Nine Tails (Stevie Chaddock Lambert). These portrayals are naturalistic bordering on the picaresque. Myburgh possesses what is called a 10,000 mile stare that bores into The Father when he dares to enter their lair. The women are feasting on raw hot peppers. They seem to be getting a sexual charge from the food, and even make remarks about needing a good singeing. These are not the frilly hookers from “Gunsmoke”. These characters are realistic portrayals of the sex trade in the boomtowns gone bust. They are caked in dirt and sweat. Their lingerie is filthy and torn. Lambert has a devilish glint in her eyes when The Father enters. They have just killed their last trick and his head is on a stick in the corner. The sound of flies gives a tactile feel to the scene.
Playwright Dan Caffrey has carefully woven a pattern of symbolism into Sandalwood. Even the title is loaded with meaning, the wood and its resins used to exorcize and purify in Wiccan and Pagan rituals. It is no accident that The Father made his firearm from sandalwood. He is on a mission to destroy his progeny/creation.
The final scene with Thomas and Rea mixes in more symbolism of the maiden’s child. Mythology often has roots in a virgin or non-human birth but it is unnecessary here. I left the theater more than a bit unsettled. Sandalwood contains a lot of esotericism that remains undeveloped. The stories have all been told and are indeed a part of the human cultural makeup no matter the ethnicity. It seems a bit of disservice to not give full flesh or closure to the blended metaphors.
The staging of Sandalwood is good and Dustin Pettigrew’s set is wonderfully claustrophobic in portraying the open and empty Wild West. The bleached out wood and dark hues resemble a painting with dissolute characters moving through the scenery. The music by Maxwell Shults is an existential aural dream. I can hear the tumbleweeds and see the sun beached skulls listening to his music. The pacing is deliberate and spare, which could be tightened a bit to make room to fill holes in the story. It’s an interesting and sometimes chilling 80 minutes. I have to give credit to Caffrey for creating a story that has room for dissection and many interpretations.
Rating: ★★½
Sandalwood continues through April 20th at Side Project Theatre, 1439 W. Jarvis (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays 3pm and 7pm. Tickets are $15-$20, and are available online through BrownPaperTickets.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at TheSideProject.net. (Running time: 80 minutes, no intermission)
artists
cast
Sean Thomas (The Father), Anthony Stamilio (The Son), Susan Myburgh (Farm Fox Maggie), Stevie Chaddock Lambert (Kat O’ Nine Tails), Jillian Rea (Girl in Blue), Scott Stockwell (The Innkeeper), Kelly Parker (understudy)
behind the scenes
Dan Caffrey (playwright), Aaron Henrickson (director), Christopher Waldron (assistant director), Erin Caitlin Altekruse (stage manager), Eric Turner (production manager), Dustin Pettigrew (set design), Maxwell Shults (original music, sound design), Chrissy Weisenberger (makeup design), Brenda Scott (costume design), Danielle Case (prop design), Claire Sangster (lighting design), Christopher Waldron and Aaron Pagel (trailer), Alex Farrington (fight choreography), Derek Garza (technical director), Renee Witherwax (graphic design), Elliot Fredland (box office management), Adam Webster (co-producer)
14-0360
