Apprehension melted away into beauty.

Last night I attended the BTA Mixer, a fun little get together before a show that allows the theatre community to talk to each other. I ended up missing the actual discussion (boo on me) because I was starving on my way there and so the boy & I decided to grab a crepe. Bad idea when the crepe place sits right next to Everyman Theatre and they currently have a show running that is selling out. Lesson learned.

Anyways, I did a little chatting before the show started with my fellow theatre people. I have to be honest about something here though... I was very apprehensive about seeing Eurydice. I honestly love this play and had even pitched it to Spots for this current season, so obviously this play is pretty close to my heart and I have some set ideas about the play itself. This was either going to be a really awesome experience or a really bad one. I was going to see the show no matter what, but like I said, I was apprehensive.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Single Carrot's TD was able to figure out how to bring a pool of water into that space (an extreme challenge with this play). There were elements reminiscent of the Williamstown production, but not enough to be accused of biting their style. I love a nice simple set that with the actors & lighting transforms into something completely different. All in all it was an interesting interpretation, though using the rope as the windows of the Interesting Man's apartment caused some focus issues at times b/c when the ropes were illuminated with an actor behind them, I found myself looking at the ropes more.

I think director J. Buck Jabaily made some very nice choices, very different from ones I would have made, which I appreciated. I love when an artist will make me take a look at something that I know intimately and then see it in a new way. Jabaily's Eurydice does just that.

When I had heard that they were using contact improv in their process, I have to admit I was a little scared. Contact Improv is one of those techniques that can either be gorgeous or completely cheesy and out of place. I'm happy to say that Jabaily's restrained use was for the most part right on, there were a few moments where that particular weight share didn't aide the action, but in some cases it was exquisite execution.

I do have to ask wtf was up with the ping pong balls? The original effect was incredible, that cascading beautiful sound, but the after effects became severely distracting when anyone moved around. Sometimes it helped add drama to a moment, but having a couple of hundred ping pong balls bouncing on cement floor because actors need to move around when something else is happening on stage can be quite distracting. I'm trying to remember which part the ping pong balls reflected in the script, but I also quickly realized I'm familiar with a earlier version of the script than the one that was used.

I have a few nit-picks about the acting... Giti Jabaily's vocal choice came off to me as overly child-like, having never heard her speak before though I couldn't tell whether this was her natural voice or a vocal choice to play into the naiveté of Eurydice. Either way it made her come off as just a "silly little girl" at first listen, though as we moved deeper into the play the audience got to experience the depth of Mrs. Jabaily's acting prowess. Also, Brendan Ragan (Eurydice's father) was great when he was interacting with another character, but during those moments where it was just him, the connection between him and his character seemed to fade. Specifically I'm talking about his opening monologue, it didn't come off as fatherly advice on his most precious daughter's wedding day, but more a list of things that weren't really connected to what Eurydice was experiencing. Lastly, the stones; I loved their unison work, but individually I didn't get a clear sense of Big Stone, Loud Stone, Little Stone. I wish their choices had been bigger and more reflective of their character name, though they proved to be a great choral backdrop to this world. I'm torn about the director's choice to have them on the little scooter things from physical education classes, on one hand what an awesome way to have these characters motor around, on the other, the sound is distracting.

I do have to recognize Kaveh Haerian as the Interesting Man/Lord of the Underworld. Awesome, believable, creepy, brilliant. The weight exchanges between him and Eurydice during the dance were pure bliss and I loved his commitment. Not to say that the other actors didn't have the same commitment, because they did. He just stole the show a little bit. ;)

All in all Eurydice is a beautiful play, beautifully staged. You'd be a fool to miss it!
(In fact I'm probably going again next weekend if I can get tickets!)

Good job carrots, keep it up!