above – Théâtre De La Ville, Six Characters in Search of an Author (Photo credit: Michel Chassat)
Review by Jo Tomalin
ForAllEvents.com
Théâtre De La Ville, Six Characters in Search of an Author
(Photo Courtesy of Cal Performances)
Evocative Production of “Six Characters…“
Cal Performances presented Six Characters in Search of an Author by Luigi Pirandello, performed by Théâtre de la Ville, the renowned repertory company from Paris, November 7 – 8, 2014. Théâtre de la Ville brought their highly successful production of Eugene Ionesco’s “Rhinoceros” to Cal Performances in 2012.
Directed by Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota with a sublimely taut mise en scène, Pirandello’s groundbreaking play, Six Characters in Search of an Author, which premiered in 1921, is a delicious crossover of characters in a play within a play…or is it reality?
This riveting fast moving just under two-hour production (no intermission), in French with English surtitles begins with a realistic company of actors and assorted technicians onstage rehearsing a play. The text here is spare, the actors speak French very clearly and there is a lot of interesting physical action, which draws us into the production immediately.
The stage is full of bold theatrical visuals, such as a hanging ledge with painters painting clouds on a screen, a seamstress working at an industrial sewing machine, additional furniture and clutter found at theatre rehearsals plus a director’s table and chair downstage very close to the audience. As the play develops, the ‘rehearsal’ is interrupted by the arrival of an intense family of six characters, seemingly out of nowhere.
A large cast of fifteen highly skilled actors plays the ever demonstrative theatre director (Alain Libolt), theatre technicians (Gérald Maillet, Pascal Vuillemot, Jauris Casanova), actors from the original play the company is rehearsing (Charles-Roger Bour, Sandra Faure, Olivier Le Borgne, Gaëlle Guillou), and the family of six intense characters seeking an author for their own painful real-life story (Hugues Quester, Valérie Dashwood, Sarah Karbasnikoff, Stéphane Krähenbühl, Walter N’guyen, Anna Spycher, and Céline Carrère).
While the family of six characters passionately wants to tell the theatre Director and actors their story, they insist on acting it out themselves, because…well, who else can play their own characters effectively? Certainly not actors…and herein lies the core of this fascinating story.
The stage is completely transformed several times through very creative formations that become beautiful, dramatic, illusory and stark, with Set and Lighting Design by Yves Collet. Wonderfully evocative music and sound effects by Jefferson Lenbeye support the production, which has a cinematic quality at times.
This outstanding production effortlessly journeys through elements of comedic, absurdist, bawdy grotesque Grand Guignol, macabre, philosophical and thought provoking theatre brilliantly led by director Demarcy-Mota. At times there are longer speeches which makes reading the surtitles and following what’s on the stage at the same time, for non French speakers, an adventure. However, it’s all very worthwhile – and the questions in Pirandello’s piece may provoke for some time after, a wonderful aspect of theatre!
More Information:
- Théâtre De La Ville, Paris
- Cal Performances: http://calperformances.org/
Jo Tomalin, Ph.D. reviews Dance, Theatre & Physical Theatre Performances
More Reviews by Jo Tomalin
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www.forallevents.com Arts & Travel Review Journal
Jo Tomalin studied with Jacques Lecoq in Paris. She completed the two year professional course at Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, Paris, France, where she also completed the Laboratoire du Mouvement (LEM) scenography, mask and movement course.
Originally from England, Jo is currently based in San Francisco, where she reviews Theatre & Dance for www.ForAllEvents.com & www.FringeReview.co.uk. She is a Professor in the School of Theatre & Dance at San Francisco State University where she teaches performance subjects and directs MainStage plays. She also works in the performing arts field as a freelance movement & voice specialist, director + actor. Jo’s play “Jessica” which she also directed was produced at the Fringe of Marin – a One Act New Play Festival in Northern California.
Jo Tomalin graduated with a degree from London University’s Laban Centre Teaching Credential program in Modern Dance, Art of Movement & Choreography; studied Classical Acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), London; completed a teacher’s diploma (ATCL) in Voice and Acting from Trinity College of Dramatic Art, London; and studied classical ballet for 12 years.
Jo also holds a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Instructional Design for Online Learning from Capella University, MN, and a Master of Science degree in Educational Technology from Boise State University in the USA.
