On February 13, 2013, I saw the play “Metamorphoses”,
directed by Mary Zimmerman at the National Arts Centre. In this play, inspired
by Ovid a various anthology of classic Greek myths are played out. We witness
the transformative power of love, redemption, and forgiveness.
The
play starts off with a prologue, which is seen told by three sisters (Fire,
Air, and Water) as they spiral around Earth. It is played out as a series of
vignettes. Each scene tells the story of specific Greek Gods [esses], which
focuses on key traits of humans in nature as well as some of the Seven Deadly
Sins.
Greed,
in the case of King Midas who is granted a wish from Bacchus in which whatever he
touches turns into gold. As a consequence, Midas accidentally turns his beloved
daughter into gold.
Lust, in the case of Myrrha and her
father King Cinyras in which Myrrha is cursed by Aphrodite with a sexual attraction
to her father. Gluttony in the tale
of Erysichthon and Ceres, which tells of Erysichthon, a man who cuts down a
sacred tree of the goddess Ceres. In retribution, Ceres demands that the
spirit, Hunger to punish Erysichthon with a ravenous appetite, who eventually
succumbs to his endless hunger and devours himself. Wrath represents the story
of King Ceyx. Despite his wife, Alcyone’s warnings, sets sail on the ocean to
visit a far off oracle. However, he is met by Poseidon, the God of the Sea who destroys
his ship and causes Ceyx to die.
Miraculously, both lovers are reunited and transformed into birds. Lastly, Envy,
in the relationship between Phaeton and his father Apollo, the God of Sun where
Phaeton goes on a journey to meet his father. Plagued with guilt, Apollo allows
Phaeton to "drive" the sun across the sky as recompense for his years
of absence from Phaeton’s life. Phaeton eventually lights the world on fire and
falls from the sky.
The
play highlighted aspects of romance in the case of Pomona and Vertumnus. Pomona
refuses to fall in love with any man. Vertumnus, in order to try to make her
fall in love with him, disguises himself in a variety of costumes. He doesn't
reveal his true identity. After he tells her the story of Myrrha, Pomona tells
Vertumnus to take off his ridiculous disguise, and the two fall in love. Or the
story of Orpheus, who has just married his bride Eurydice, but tragically dies
as s she is bitten by a snake. Hysterical from grief, Orpheus travels to the
Underworld to negotiate for the revival of her soul. The God Hades agrees to
let Eurydice return with one condition: Eurydice must follow Orpheus from
behind, and he cannot look back at her. If he does, she will stay in the
Underworld forever. Orpheus agrees but unable to control his love for her, he
gazes back, which causes Hermes to pluck her away. This is repeated several
times, which represents the memory that Orpheus will have forever of losing the
love of his life. Next, the story of Eros and Psyche who f wander in the
darkness of loneliness until they blind themselves to personal romantic desires
and give in to a deeper love. Psyche becomes a goddess and lives with Eros
forever. Finally, the story in which
Zeus and Hermes disguise themselves as beggars on earth in order to know what
it is like to be human. After being shunned by every house in the city, they
are accepted into the house of Baucis and Philemon, a poor married couple. The
couple feed the gods with a great feast, not knowing the identity of the
strangers. After the feast, the gods reveal themselves and grant the two a
wish. Baucis and Philemon ask to die at the same time to save each other the
grief of death. The gods transform their house into a grand palace and the
couple into a pair of connected trees. As
a result of how the play was presented at some points it seemed as though it
was a play within a play. The play discusses how human bodies change into
different forms that express the true nature of the character. In some cases,
the human qualities are kept intact, while in other cases they are overcome by
natural forces.
With
a small group of ten actors, each member of the NAC English Theatre production
was able to play multiple roles seamlessly and portray these classic Greek myths
influenced by a desire to transform themself through affection. The company
uses visual metaphors, movement and daring theatricality to create excellent
staging. While I felt each actor and actress did a great job at conveying their
character, in my opinion the most powerful actor was Alix Sideris due to her
ability to convey true emotion to the audience. Also, she was able to
transition between being a character full of innocence to a character of pure insanity
with ease. She made it feel as though she was actually like that in real-life.
While the aspect of Ryan Allen’s singing provided me with comedic relief, I
felt as though it took away from the story in the sense that it didn’t really
meld with his seriousness of his character. In addition, I felt as though he
should have played his role with more authority as opposed to humour. With that
said, I felt as though there was no “weak” actor. Each player was strong,
especially given the fact that each played multiple roles, which caused them to
have to adopt many personalities in a manner of minutes.
The
costumes ranged from classic Grecian togas to modern body suits. This contrast
of ancient and new-fangled is prevalent in the tale of Midas, where Midas is
shown wearing a business jacket while conversing with a drunk man in a toga and
vine leaves in his hair. While the
actors were wearing body suits, it appeared as though once their costumes got
damp from the water, they had a difficult time maneuvering around the
two-levelled set. Especially up and down the stairs. In the case of Vertumnus,
who switches between numerous of costumes, it showcases his desperation for
Pomona’s love. This shows that he is a morphing character, who can transform
into any disguise.
The
set, which was designed by world-renowned Bretta Gereke, provided the perfect
ground to establish such a complex play. The play is set in a two giant pools
of water, which occupies most of the stage. One of which is located on the
lower level in the apron of the stage, and the larger pool which is located on
the second level. The depths varied, as the apron pool was very shallow, while
the higher pool was cube-shaped and deep. They are utilized as a swimming pool,
a basin, the River Styx of the Underworld, and the sea. The use of the pools provided
the audience with an unforgettable experience which was a treat for the eyes as
well as all of the other senses. The
music which accompanied the play truly reflected the sophistication of the
performance, played with aquarions, a set of glass marimbas which let out a
soft delicate tune every time they were touched by the player’s nimble fingers.
Although at first I felt as though the music would take away from the true
integrity of the play, it actually enhanced the overall mood of the play. Finally
the lighting, controlled by Leigh Ann Vardy was used to focus in on center of
the action as opposed to the entire theatre. I felt as though this worked very
effectively in adding a gloomy effect as well as splendour with the use of
different colours and shades. The fact that the whole theatre was dark added an
element of heaviness to my physical being.
While
I did find there was a problem, in terms with the overall ability to see the
whole set, it was unique and showcased the mystically of the play. In addition,
at times I did get a little bit lost trying to understand which characters were
which. Nonetheless, I found it to be an astounding performance.
In
conclusion, I found this play to be one of the most impacting and profound
plays I have ever seen. It transported me to a place full of mystery and mystically,
in which I succumbed to the feeling of claustrophobia and deep relaxation. I
would definitely recommend this play to anyone who has a great fascination with
Greek Mythology and deep mystery.
