Redd Tale Theatre Company has a knack for taking well-worn stories and delivering them with a fresh perspective.  Currently during their “summer of creation” they are exploring the themes of what it means to be human and how our need to connect on a deeper level drives all living creatures.  By currently pairing a well-known and time-honored old fashioned horror story – Frankenstein – with a newly written modern sci-fi piece – Gabriel – this talented ensemble is virtually flipping a coin for us and showing two sides of a very complex issue during one ambitious night of theatre.

The first act begins long ago, with Frankenstein With Mary Shelley (adapted by Virginia Bartholomew / directed and edited by Will Le Vasseur).  As the title indicates, this is as much Mary Shelley’s chronicle of how the story came to possess her as it is the story of the Doctor and his Creature.  Virginia Bartholomew not only adapted the original text but interprets all three characters brilliantly.  She moves fluidly from young writer to consumed scientist, to unfortunate monster – imbuing each with the same spirit of determination that drove them to complete their task.   Bartholomew is a gifted actress who commands the stage and holds you in the palm of her hand; she is mesmerizing, dynamic and radiant.

By illuminating and juxtaposing Mary Shelley’s journey as she creates “Frankenstein” the story,  Bartholomew (as playwright) examines the way Shelley herself took a lifeless form and lovingly worked upon it until it rose … sparked by the electricity of her desire to create not merely new life, but new heights to which the reader’s imagination could ascend.

The second act vaults us into the future – or at least a parallel present – with Gabriel written by Le Vasseur and directed by Lynn Kenny.   In this sci-fi tale of creation we meet  Henry (Le Vasseur), a wealthy British geneticist who, it appears, has time and resources to dabble in much the same work that Doctor Frankenstein did – minus the grave robbing. When we come upon Henry he’s nervously awaiting his friends Pierce (James Stewart) and Susan (Cameran Hebb) – fellow scientists and dear friends.  He is about to introduce them to his own creation: Gabriel.

Gabriel is not your father’s test tube baby.  In fact, he’s no baby … after only six months he has formed into a fully grown man and his skills include being brilliant, being able to link to others in order to speak telepathically, and getting drunk far faster than the average human.  Since Gabriel doesn’t actually speak he is played by two actors: Michael Komala voices Gabriel remotely in dulcet tones while Michael Wetherbee moves about the stage and stares intently.

What worked so well in Gabriel was the exploration of the theme of Frankenstein taken to a “what if” level.  What if the Doctor had been successful in creating a being that could be accepted by society?  What if the creator could find a way to not only connect with the new creature, but celebrate its existence and delight in its actualization?  What if the bond between the two was mutual and fulfilling, rather than horrific and filled with despair?

By presenting this as the through-line which ties both ends together, Frankenstein and Gabriel amount to a thoughtful, entertaining, engaging night of theatre.

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Cast of Macbeth (photo by Ben Strothmann)

This may not be a popular theory, but I always felt that if Shakespeare were alive today and writing this Scottish play the plot might very well be the same . . . but the title would be Lady Macbeth and the emphasis would be completely different.  For without the devious, devilish, deliciously deceitful Lady at his side Macbeth would be just another Hamlet, wandering about the castle wondering when his future was ever going to relieve him of his everlasting present.

Director Will Le Vasseur has done two things with Redd Tale Theatre Company’s Macbeth that I applaud him for.  One, he’s “tightly edited” the original Shakespeare in ways that leave the story  in tact while still getting the audience back on their feet before numbness sets in.  However, the bigger triumph lies with point two.  What Le Vasseur has done here – which I have yet to see done in other productions – is give this traditionally male-dominated Shakespearean Tale to the women.  He’s managed to make a Feminist Macbeth.  Now if I could only lobby to get him to change the title . . .

Whether this was intentional or unintentional is hard to say but hardly matters – it works.  This choice can be seen right from the beginning when the three witches (Jodi Mara, Melissa Smith, and Merrie Jane Brackin) begin the play not as haggard old crones but as lovely witches (think original Eastwick – minus the  bad perms).   The status of the witches as an omnipresent supernatural constant is another choice of emphasis that I think is also quite unique in Le Vasseur’s production. Instead of the witches merely being auguries of the future they seem to be participants of the present as well – darting in and out to do what must be done to turn the plot just so.  They are more like faeiries than witches in this way – like a darker version of their midsummer nights dream cousins – pushing and prodding the key players on the stage of their lives so as to make what needs to happen happen.

Of course, this is Macbeth, and it’s not as if Le Vasseur takes total liberties with the script – but he did go ahead and cast Duncan with Maria Silverman (who plays a number of other roles throughout the play as well, including Hecate and Lady Macduff) which was a bold and interesting choice.  Silverman easily maneuvers through her many roles and brings fire and strength to her characters.

Virginia Bartholomew as Lady Macbeth and James Stewart as Macbeth (phot by Ben Strothmann)

However, this production completely elevates to another level the moment Lady Macbeth (Virginia Bartholomew) arrives.  There are actors who are completely comfortable with Shakespearean roles, able to recite the text with the appropriate amount of emotion and umbrage and for the most part, Macbeth‘s ensemble is filled with that type of actor.  Then there are the actors who take the old Shakespearean text and transform it into something captivating – Ms. Bartholomew is that kind of actor.   Bartholomew creates a Lady Macbeth who steals your breath and leaves you on the edge of your seat; though this story may be a familiar one and the lines as recognizable as childhood rhymes there is such an anticipation created around her scenes that it’s almost as if you’re not quite sure what may happen next.  She is so fierce, so determined and so unbridled that it is impossible to imagine anything ever not turning out exactly as she wants.  To see the desire and lust for power in her eyes is to see a woman waiting to be fully born, and frustrated that she can only fulfill her true destiny by constantly propping up her man.

The rest of the cast does a great job of putting the familiar cadence of Macbeth into the matrix of this new supernatural feminist thriller. James Stewart as Macbeth and Collin McConnell as Banquo have their lives turned upside down – transformed (then ruined) by the witches.  Malcolm (Brad Lewandowski) and Donalbain (Michael Komala) are the sons who are acceptable heirs-apparent rather than superlative ones until their father’s death sends them on their own hero’s journey that ends them at the beginning of their story – after the ending of Macbeth’s.

And the rest … with many members of the cast playing double roles, there often seems to be many more in the cast than there actually are.  Everyone is working together to tell the story of the warring factions of being pushed and pulled where the fates (or in this case the witches and human frailty) would pull them.

Throughout, the talent and expert of the people behind the scenes shine.  Mike Yahn and Alec Barbour  did a great job with fight choreography.  Rebecca Smith -Millstein made the witches’ choreography – specifically when they interact with Lady Macbeth – weave a spell on us all.   Will LeVasseur’s touch was apparent again in the great costumes (modern kilts, tank tops and coordinating sashes)  and set design (especially the phosphorescent witches’ Mandela that was activated in black light).

Shakespeare’s Macbeth maybe one of the world’s great tragedies, but Le Vasseur’s Macbeth is a great success.

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Related Posts:

• The Thrill Of Creation – “Frankenstein With Mary Shelley” | “Gabriel”
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Take a cross dressing princess who woos everyone in her path in order to be with her true love, add a philosopher whose cerebral journey allows no room for romance,  mix in his spinster sister  who’s been shut away in a lonely compound full of men but with no opportunity, throw in a young man whose throne has been stolen from his family and who’s been raised to think women are the enemy, drizzle it all with the broad antics of comedic sidekicks and what do you get?  Pierre Carlet de Chamblain de Marivaux’s farce Triumph of Love . . . written in 1737.  But don’t let the 300 year old time stamp deter you  - Redd Tale Theatre company has a new adaptation in store for audiences, with a new translation by Virginie Maries and a bit of a sci fi twist as well, courtesy of director (and adapter) Will Le Vasseur.

Princess Leonide (Lynn Kenny) and her true love Agis (Brad Lewandowski) (photo credit: Ben Strothmann)

This updated Triumph of Love begins with a dramatic scene of a witch casting a spell at the request of Princess Leonide (Lynn Kenny) who hopes that by going “back to the beginning” she can make things right.  And so, right back to the beginning she goes, to a garden of statues which come to life and fall back into repose depending on the situation.  Leonide immediately goes to her handmaiden, Corine (played with saucy wryness by the delightful Cameran Hebb) and together the two of them do a bit of exposition to bring the audience up to speed.  Though clunky and obvious as far as scenes go, it gets the job done. In a nutshell – Leonide is hoping to win the heart of her true love, Agis (Brad Lewandowski) who is being raised by a sex-eschewing philosopher, Hermocrate (Tom Cleary) and his prim, lonely sister, Leontine (Virginia Bartholomew).  Agis, by the way, never even really met Leonide.  But that doesn’t stop this princess from concocting a scheme zany enough to be at the core of a Three’s Company episode.

The story bumps a bit at first, and so does the play, but soon enough as the Princess (or “Phocione” as she now calls herself – if you’re wondering, it’s a male name – and along with a coat seems to be all the disguise she needs!) begins to weave her web of lies, deceit and double-crossing the tale really gathers speed and the fun starts.

The delight of this play is watching how quickly and cleverly Leonide changes her story depending on who she’s speaking with; how she can turn her plan on a dime the minute she’s in danger of being discovered.  Lynn Kenny has an amazingly agile way of moving and seamlessly transforms from character to character (sometimes character within character), even changing mid-ruse upon being discovered.  This is one princess who doesn’t know the meaning of the word speed-bump.

Doing a great job of keeping the mood light, playful and buoyant are James Stewart as the gardener, Dimas, and Robert Dyckman as manservant, Arlequin.  The pair are sweet and funny, and their antics are reminiscent of classic duos such as Crosby and Hope or Lemmon and Curtis; right down to the notion of one ending up with the gal while the other makes due with the dough.

I suspect that the real triumph of love to which the title alludes isn’t whether or not the princess gets her man in the end, but rather the way in which the act of loving can loosen the coils of the tightly wound philosopher and those he oversees. Without love their existence has been a thoughful one, and the cerebral pursuits have been paramount.  Watching as Hermocrate, Leontine and Agis all become aware of (and attune to) love is the note of this story that hits the mark.  Particulalry enjoyable are the performances of Tom Cleary as the rigid Hermocrate and Virginia Bartholomew as the tentative Leontine.  As they both find themselves charmed by Princess Leonide (in disguise) you can feel the creaks as the dormant heart begins to pump lustily.  When brother and sister slyly wish each other the good fortune of “proposals” you can almost see them shaking off the dust of loneliness that has covered them for so long.

Director Will Le Vasseur seems to be an actors’ director; under his guidance the talented cast has been allowed to examine and explore these characters and they come up shining.  If it’s a fun-filled escape you’re looking for, you won’t find a better way to spend 2 hours than with this updated classic.

Triumph of Love is playing in rep with Macbeth - and if you’d like to see exactly how talented The Redd Tale Theatre Company ensemble is I suggest you take in Will Le Vasseur’s edited version of Macbeth which will astound you . . . not only on its own merits but by showing you how this cast juggles two strong plays simultaneously.

The Redd Tale Theatre Company is an ensemble that truly elevates the craft of acting, and my respect for them is only surpassed by their talent.

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Related Posts:

• The Thrill Of Creation – “Frankenstein With Mary Shelley” | “Gabriel”
• Macbeth – Behind Every Good Man . . .
• MADDY – A Modern Day Medea + The Swan Song = One Great Night of Classic Tales