The Happiest Medium » John Milton’s Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost, Insight Found (FRIGID New York 2011)

Stephen Tortora-Lee — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:00:41 +0000

Frigid Festival: Paradise Lost, Insight Found

There are times in our lives when it feels like we are trapped in a place where we can’t seem to get a handle on anything, and we just wish we could go back to simpler times when choices were clearer and there weren’t so many things to distract us from just being happy. Why can’t everything just be Perfect?

More than 350 years ago John Milton created the work Paradise Lost to investigate this timeless question in a timeless way. Paul Van Dyck now brings this gem to us (as many artists before him, including William Blake) infusing this classic with modern artistic techniques as well as with time-honored ones. For those who haven’t had much exposure to the works of John Milton, Paul Van Dyck’s adaptation is an enticing and faithful version of the original.

The play has been elegantly compressed to slightly under an hour (from the original 12 volume epic poem totaling more than ten thousand lines) and in doing so, incorporates some mesmerizing special effects. The characters includes Lucifer, Adam and Eve (represented by puppets), Sin and Death (CGI demon creations). Masks and bedsheets and projected scenery take us from Hell to the Abyss and finally to the new creation of Earth where Man is then the new pinnacle of God’s perfection.

One thing that is interesting about the “classics” is how much a new work based upon them can simultaneously touch us deeply as well as demonstrate how an addition of a modern veneer can add shine. It is as if this work glows with a light that only the depth of centuries shone through the lens of our modern recognition of the thing can provide. In this case expertly performed, directed and adapted by Paul Van Dyck, his interpretation of Milton’s ancient and venerable work and the selection of the music outlining different arcs of the play help us understand the grander themes of the work more instinctively. The music was cleverly tied to well known classics from The Rolling Stones. The first arc of Lucifer making his way out of Hell was accompanied by Sympathy for the Devil; his seduction of Eve to the dark side was underscored with Paint it Black and when all seems lost and Michael shows Adam the results of his decision to eat of the forbidden fruit the music changes to You Can’t Always Get What you Want.

Paul first transports us to the days following the Fall as Lucifer outlines to his minions his big plan to corrupt God’s new creation of the earth. The CGI creations of Jeremy Eliosoff and an echo mic take you to the edge of reality as Lucifer approaches the Abyss and is confronted by two of his forgotten progeny Sin and Death. This scene really makes you feel the loneliness and resentment of these denizens of Hell and even almost an empathy for their need to rebel in the hopes of finding some route to escape. Throughout the play the lighting and projected scenery help us walk through the varied landscapes and helps us transition throughout thanks to Jody Burkholder’s expert craftsmanship in light design. The puppets of Adam and Eve by Lyne Paquette evoke empathy as well. Their round and awkward features remind us of our own vulnerability when we are adapting to new places. But the possibility of seeing them that way forever makes the Tragedy of Paradise Lost a bittersweet one as it dawns on us, as it does our characters, that if we lose our innocence at least we gain greater solace in being able to glimpse more and more of a deeper world around us and within us.

As you can guess some apples are eaten and consciousness raised with the usual consequence of being able to now see the problems surrounding us. But upon being escorted out of the garden the Angel Michael shows Adam a vision of all the problems that their sins have wrought and a moment of compassion pointing him in the direction of the hope that can be found by finding peace within.

I would definitely strongly recommend Paul Van Dyck’s adaptation of Paradise Lost for anyone wanting to see a truly personal and powerful interpretation of this classic that I think holds truths that are just as important today a they were in days of yore.

~~~

John Milton’s Paradise Lost

Presented by ACM Productions
UNDER St. Marks
Wed 2/23 @ 10:30pm, Fri 2/25 @ 7:30pm, Mon 2/28 @ 10:30pm, 3/4 @ 10:30pm, 3/6 @ 7:00pm

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 will run February 23-March 6 at The Kraine Theater & The Red Room (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery) and UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1sr Ave and Ave A). Tickets ($10-$16) may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. All shows will run 60 minutes long or less.

FRIGID New York Festival 2011 – Five Questions For: John Milton’s Paradise Lost

Karen Tortora-Lee — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:42:09 +0000

Welcome back to another installment of FRIGID New York Festival 2011 Q&A! We’ll be running these throughout February until the Festival starts, so be sure to check back to read all about the great shows that will be taking part in the festival. Also – don’t miss the winner-take-all game of Rock Paper Scissors! Today’s Q&A is with Paul Van Dyck who plays all roles, primarily Satan, and is the puppeteer for Adam and Eve in John Milton’s Paradise Lost.

This extraordinary production is a visual and technical treat replete with stunning CGI, spellbinding puppetry and first-rate storytelling.

Paradise Lost

answers by Paul Van Dyck -performer

Antonio Asks: What makes FRIGID such a warm and welcoming experience for your production?

It’s a hell of a lot warmer than Montreal this time of year!

Diánna Asks: What about this play do you feel most drawn to personally, and because of that, what message do you hope the audience walks away with?

I want people to walk away from this with the understanding that although this story is routed in Judeo-Christain mythology, it carries with it unchanging truths about the human condition; that we collectively share in the life experiences of rebellion, loss of innocence, and love. But ultimately I want people to come away from this thinking “Who knew a 350 year old poem could Rock like that?!”

Karen Asks: That’s some title. How did you come up with it – and what does it mean?

The title is often thought to refer to Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden. I believe it has just as much to do with Satan’s expulsion from Heaven.

Stephen Asks: You must have a favorite part of your show. What makes it your favorite?

My favorite part of the show are the puppets of Adam and Eve. Although they are simply paper-marcher and wires, they really seem to come to life. When I’m operating them, I sometimes feel as if I’m just a prompter for these unique little actors to tell their story.

Lina Asks: How much of your show was inspired by true events?

I was raised an atheist but have since graduated to an agnostic, so I don’t put much faith that any of this story is real. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t truth in the story; the struggles that these characters go through, the temptation to be something greater than ourselves, the disillusionment at the loss of innocence, and the redemption found in love and charity all exist in our lives. This story is a timeless metaphor for the human experience.

THM Bonus Question: If you could play a virtual game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with another FRIGID Show which show would you take on? And what would you throw?

Joe: The Perfect Man! I’ve got to keep up with my fellow Canadians. Of course I’d throw down rock, good old rock, nothing beats rock.

Thanks John Milton’s Paradise Lost – for participating in The Happiest Medium’s FRIGID New York Festival 2011 Q&A. And for playing our game! You’re officially ROCK. You challenged Joe: The Perfect Man who threw SCISSORS. Smart move, Paradise Lost - you smashed those scissors to smithereens! Ding, ding, ding! I declare you the winner of this round! This is how it works in the crazy world of the VIRTUAL ROCK PAPER SCISSORS TOURNAMENT!

Meanwhile, for the rest of you – don’t forget to check out John Milton’s Paradise Lost!