Phoenician Women
— Natural Theatricals
By Ronnie Ruff
Natural Theatrical’s mounting of a new translation of Phoenician Women is a must see for anyone wanting to see how to make use of every bit of space a venue has to offer. The auditorium at the Masonic Temple in Alexandria is a grand ornate structure that seems vast for such a small company. Bob Bartlett who directs this classic story has his actors speaking to you from every corner of the vast space, making it seem so much smaller and intimate as a result. The sound design and sound effects by Todd Edwards are a perfect match for the tragic themes of this play and give it a somewhat spooky feel.
A classic story of war and the age old questioning of its morality and usefulness, Phoenician Women succeeds in drawing you in to its story but ultimately loses its focus with a script that becomes tedious. Director Bartlett does what he can but by plays end the tragedy is not so much the story but instead Carl Mueller’s translation.
There are a few actors that stand out in Mr. Bartlett’s production that deserve mention. Manolo Santalla is the gem of this show. When he is on stage the production is crisp and interesting. His stage presence jaunty and vibrant. Cherie Weinart (Jocasta) gives a satisfying performance as well and John Tweel as Kreon is stellar. Natural Theatricals takes a step or two forward by first bringing in Mr Bartlett for this show and second for selecting some very good actors for the roles in this Greek classic.
The sound design for this show is amazing. Recorded in outer space this NASA recording fits this material perfectly. Sound Designer Todd Edwards and Bartlett both had heard and loved the sounds when they heard them on an NPR broadcast. The set design is simple but effective and as mentioned before it is Bartlett’s use of the entire space that makes the set design truly work. Costumes were a mish mosh and I was confused by seemingly appropriate gowns on the women while some of the male actors were in costume and others seemed to be dressed in street clothes.
Natural Theatricals and Mr. Bartlett are able to take this new translation of Phoenician Women farther than it should go. In closing the reasons for seeing this show are its wonderful use of the space and its mystical sound design along with the performance of Manolo Santalla.
Thanks for the feedback Janet. Most scholars agree that the text of the final quarter or so of the play that has come down to us is seriously corrupt, shot through with layers of additions, deletions and emendations from transcribers and editors in later periods, It is therefore not surprising that every translation of PW handles the ending a little differently, as the particular translator sorts through the text to try to depict as closely as he or she can what Euripides actually may have writtten. Having read about ten of these translations of PW, I think (contrary to the DCTR reviewer) that Prof. Mueller has brought great skill and taste to the task of sustaining dramatic integrity and effect over the course of this 2400-year-old play. Natural Theatricals couldn’t be happier with its choice of translation.
I also want to add that the performance by Mr. Moffitt at the end was amazing. My comment about it being tedious at the end was no reflection on his superb performance. Too bad he couldn’t have come in earlier in the play, but the story is what it is, I suppose. It just felt, to me, that after "the Three" died, the play was over — and maybe just a quick wrap-up would have been more satisfactory. Again, that it just me talking out loud. Kudos to this fine production!
Thanks for the comment Janet – the seven seats in the front row audience left are now cordoned off with tape and won’t be used for seating in future PW performances.
Thanks for the comments.. I love the feedback
I’m afraid that I did find it tedious at the end also after an entertaining (to me) beginning. Also, they should put signs on some of the front seats so that people won’t sit on them. At the end, the actors moved the benches so close to me that I found it too close for comfort. I second Ronnie’s comments about the "costumes." Either do costumes or street clothes, but not both.
I truly enjoyed this wonderful production of "Phoenican Women". It is chocked full of strong personalities. It is definately worth seeing. The set, sound, and lighting reflected the mood of the so many emotionally charged events that would unfold as the play progressed. The sound was uncomfortably strange in that it signalled impending doom on the horizon. For some reason I liked it. Miss Weinert’s portrayal of "Jocasta" was not only strong, elegant, and queenly, but the portrayal of a mother tormented was so convincing that any mother, regardless of her station in life, could easily identify with her pain. She was a mother driven to tears and anguish as she witnessed a dangerously growing animosity between her two sons. Mr. Moffitt’s brief appearance as "Oedipus" was what I would have imagined "Oedipus" would have looked like aged: A towering man who once commanded respect as evidenced from the strong inflection of his voice. Even now he exudes an air of authority, though in reality he is rendered powerless which is demonstrated in Mr. Moffit’s "Oedipus" with his towering frame now sinking to the floor upon more tragic news of his family. Mr. Nious and Mr. Ramsey as "Eteokles" and "Polyneikes" played off of each other exceptionally well, squaring off, eyeing one another, refusing to give in to each other’s demands. This was a darn good group of actors, some more seasoned then others, but hey…. so in a nutshell this is worth seeing. Messy family drama, weird music, gloom and doom on the horizon, and as in true Greek drama a lot of folks die under one curse or another. .