Metamorphoses
Written and Directed by Mary Zimmerman
From myths by Ovid, David R. Slavitt translator
Lookingglass Theatre, 821 N. Michigan (map)
thru Nov 18 Jan 6 | tickets: $28-$70 | more info
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Extended – must close January 6th!
A magical incarnation of ancient myths made timely again
Lookingglass Theatre Company presents
Metamorphoses
Review by Clint May
What is this power that can transform bodies into various forms, can turn a couple into a tree or a woman into a river?
Why it’s love, of course.
Ovid’s 15-book epic “Metamorphoses” deals with wrath, jealously, lust, despair—the entire gamut of human and divine emotion. They can almost all trace their roots back to the disruptive, transformative powers of love. These stories suffuse our cultural consciousness still, lingering on as allegorical shortcuts to the caprices of the human condition. Writer/director Mary Zimmerman’s theatrical interpretation (based on David Slavitt’s prose translation) recreates some of the known and many of the lesser-known tales of gods, humans, and the history of how the world and its creatures came into
Metamorphoses, like its source, is told in meandering fashion as a series of stories (ten total) with short interstitials (Pandora and her box, Narcissus and the pool) filling the gaps. Signature to the show is the dramatic use of water that comprises most of the stage. With only a few planks upon which to walk enclosing all sides, most of the action takes place in that protean pool of symbolism (caution: first two rows may get wet; towels are provided). A sky behind creates all that’s necessary for the reenactments—land, water and the heavens. Midas’ tale bookends the selections; beginning with his greedy desire for a golden touch and ending with his successful quest to rid himself of the curse to restore his beloved daughter after an ill-fated embrace. Most of the vignettes are told with a post-modern awareness or tongue-in-cheek humor that’s actually not inappropriate for Ovid despite his revered place in literature. The source material was rife with follies, mostly mocking the gods while elevating the struggles of man. Like Ovid, Zimmerman shifts tones rapidly, from tragedy (Alcyone and Ceyx) to humorous (Pomona and Vertumnus) to frightening (Myrrha and Cinyras, the punishment of Erysichthon). Sometimes the tones shift within the stories themselves in a slightly disconcerting fashion common to myths. Life is capricious and so too are the myths meant to illustrate it.
What’s intriguing about the myths on view are the myths that aren’t selected. There’s no mention of Apollo and Daphne, Pygmalion, Daedalus and Icarus, and Pyramus and Thisbē, which are perhaps the most readily known after the story of Midas. Adding in a non-Ovidian work to sum up the themes of love’s power, Eros and Psyche (from the later Lucius Apuleius) gives a sampling of the less-known but no less profound tales of insight. I applaud Zimmerman’s choice to eschew the popular in favor of the obscure—the choice of tone for each, slightly less so. Of the ten, Alcyone and Ceyx is the most moving, though the innovative dual treatment of Orpheus and Eurydice is beautifully haunting.
 
 
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These are archetypal, two-dimensional characters that are defined by their attributes, which plays well into Lookingglass’ strengths of highly-stylized characterizations and pageantry. At times the ensemble—many of whom were there for the original—lack the sonorous storytelling gravitas necessary for a work of oral tradition, with Marilyn Dodds Frank outshining her castmates when it’s her turn to narrate. Zimmerman’s overtly stated interpretations of the myths strips them ever-so-slightly of their potential to live freely inside our own dreams, and Ovid was not spinning Aesopian fables. There’s a value in showing and not telling, especially when this production is so good at being showy.
Imaginatively staged, impressively physical, and rooted in the eternal, Metamorphoses can be forgiven for any small misgivings because it’s so audacious. As Zimmerman quotes Campbell for her ending, so shall I do the same with a statement that underlies the importance of viewing works such as this: “Myth awakens and supports a sense of awe before the mystery of being.”
Rating: ★★★★
Metamorphoses continues through November 18th January 6th at Lookingglass Theatre, Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan (map), with performances Wednesdays-Fridays at 7:30pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm and 7:30pm. Tickets are $28-$70, and are available by phone (312.337.0665) or online through PrintTixUSA.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at LookingglassTheatre.org. (Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Liz Lauren
artists
cast
Larry DiStasi, Raymond Fox, Doug Hara, Louise Lamson, Usman Ally, Anjali Bhimani, Anne Fogarty, Marilyn Dodds Frank, Chris Kipiniak, Lauren Orkus
behind the scenes
Mary Zimmerman (director); Daniel Ostling (set); Mara Blumenfeld (costumes); T.J. Gerckens (lighting); Andrew Pluess (sound); Willie Schwarz (original music); Maria DeFabo (props); Liz Lauren (photos)
 
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