When you walk into a theater to find knives dangling from the ceiling, you know you're in for a dark performance.
Sock and Buskin's current production of "The Changeling" is just that. Written by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley in the 17th century, the Renaissance tragedy primarily follows the romantic schemes of Beatrice (Sarah Tolan-Mee '09), daughter of a Spanish noble in Alicante. Beatrice is in love with one man, Alsemero (Daniel Gonon '12), and betrothed to another, Alonzo (Lucian Cohen '09). To resolve this conflict, she hires her father's disfigured servant De Flores (Federico Rodriguez '09) to murder Alonzo. De Flores complies because he, too, loves Beatrice, but when she offers to pay him in gold, he insists upon a higher price - Beatrice's virginity. From there, the plot launches on a downward spiral leading to a tragic finale.
Spencer Golub, professor of theatre, speech and dance and of Slavic languages and comparative literature, directed the play, which he had not previously seen produced. Golub said he hopes that the audience members will take away "a sense of theatricality" from the production and have their "heads and emotions stretched in different ways."
Golub and his team seem to have gone to great lengths in trying to reach this goal. The costumes are bold, the lighting dramatic and the multi-tiered set striking. The staging makes use of the entire theater, exploring various heights, from the catwalks to the aisles, as well as the full depth of the stage. The show creates an atmosphere of what Golub calls "horrific madness," which corresponds directly with the dark themes of lust, greed and pride central to the play.
The production also incorporates an unusual element of sound and song. Whether it is Jing Xu '10 as Jasperino - producing haunting notes on what looks like the exposed innards of a piano - or soft jazz lilting as a backdrop to a dialogue, "The Changeling" makes music integral to the action.
The actors rise to the challenge of performing such a complex work under unconventional circumstances with precise timing and appropriately melodramatic delivery. They successfully bring to life a difficult script that calls for seamless integration of song and even foreign language into the dialogue. Rodriguez's portrayal of De Flores is particularly powerful; he skillfully depicts the dark, distorted love De Flores has for Beatrice.
Other notable performances come from Ted Cava '11 as Lollio and Gordon Sayre '12 as Antonio, two minor characters involved in a subplot that raises questions about insanity, as Antonio and his friend Franciscus (Daniel Ricker '11) pose as madmen to win the love of Isabell (Erin Adams '09).
With themes of betrayal and madness, and a dark, experimental production, "The Changeling" is without doubt a disturbing show. Strangely enough, that's a compliment.
The show will run this weekend and Nov. 20 to Nov. 23 at Stuart Theatre, with Thursday through Saturday performances at 8 p.m. and Sunday performances at 2 p.m. Tickets are $7 for students and available online.
