Life begins with a noise in the dark, a quiet rattle and hum that bursts into a joyful communal dance ended abruptly by violent separation.
From this first myth of creation, to a final heartfelt reunion, Psalmayene 24’s funny, sure-footed staging of Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses at the Folger Theatre reaps the rewards of an inspired premise and well-directed company.
Based on Ovid’s epic tales of gods and man, the play condenses the original poem’s 15 books into a compendium of fables following fated figures like King Midas, and doomed lovers Orpheus and Eurydice. Psalmayene’s production further reimagines these myths as stories set in the African diaspora, performed by an all-Black cast (a first for the Folger).
Given a modern-day milieu, rendered with notes of African art and dance, American pop culture, and witty, accessible humor, this Metamorphoses remixes myths and morality with funk, soul, and hip-hop, and doesn’t miss a beat.
More to the point, the tight, versatile ensemble doesn’t miss a beat of Zimmerman’s archetypal drama, the adventurous direction, or Tony Thomas’ lively choreography.
Mika Eubanks’ boldly cheeky costumes also speak volumes for the show’s array of kings, queens, nymphs, deities, and celestial beings. Jon Hudson Odom, in a blue velvet blazer and jaunty gold crown, limns a gregariously greedy Midas, who’s left with a palpable sense of heartache once his golden wish has been revealed as a curse.
Gerrad Alex Taylor is a gas as the groovy god Bacchus, the foil in the Midas fable. In looks and attitude, Bacchus serves up a disco fantasy, abetted by the wonders Rueben D. Echoles works with wig and hair design.
Musically-gifted Orpheus evokes legends bigger than disco. Portrayed in another compelling turn by Odom, Orpheus is embodied with elements of Prince, Michael Jackson, and James Brown. But music and splendor can shift suddenly to misfortune. And, as Orpheus begs for the life of his beloved Eurydice (Billie Krishawn), Odom, for the second time in the evening, finds the heart in tragedy.
As Myrrha, cursed to pine romantically for her father King Cinyras (DeJeanette Horne), Renea S. Brown finds heart, and the delicate balance of tension and abandon, in the aptly unnerving tale of incest. Horne’s Cinyras doesn’t register the same gravitas, although the actor, as with everyone in the ensemble, has a shot to shine in multiple roles.
Taylor, for instance, follows up his amusing Bacchus with a delirious take on Erysichthon, a man who would ravage the earth or sell his own mother to satisfy his unwieldy appetite.
Yesenia Iglesias offers an ethereal Aphrodite in the shipwrecked love story of Alcyone (Renee Elizabeth Wilson) and Ceyx (Horne). And Manu Kumasi earns laughs for his determined Vertumnus, a not quite master of disguise in pursuit of nymph Pomona (Wilson).
Throughout the show, performer Miss Kitty lends mystery and a sprightly physicality to several roles, including as the silent but powerful god Hermes. As a water nymph, she ushers in a great flood with a dance, trailing her diaphanous blue fabric like waves crashing onto shore.
With such fluid ingenuity and rich imagery — persuasively assisted by William K. D’Eugenio’s lighting — the production traverses the heights of love and depths of loss. Ultimately, the mythical journey arrives at a satisfying end, shoring up the timeless pull of these immortal tales. “Let me die still loving, and so, never die.”
Metamorphoses (★★★★☆) runs through June 16 at the Folger Theatre, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Tickets are $20 to $84, with an Affinity Night performance on June 7 honoring the LGBTQ community.
Some things that don't happen exactly when you want them to still happen right on time. Five years ago, Signature Theatre's planned production of Hair was destined to be the company's blockbuster show of the Spring 2020 season. Then, the spring of 2020 actually happened, to all of us, and destiny was rewritten.
Theaters sat dim, while protests against racial injustice erupted in the streets, and a new generation of American kids experienced and witnessed the power of a social uprising.
Now, Signature's Hair is finally here, just as another youth-led uprising is taking hold, with student protesters occupying campuses across the nation to voice their opposition or support for U.S. involvement in the Israel-Hamas War. And the time feels right to consider the show's portrayal of youthful rebellion against an establishment that preaches morality but doesn't consistently practice it.
Candid cover story interviews aren't usually as packed with helpful and enlightening info on the latest terms and tools for modern gay dating as my chat with Jack Tracy. The creator, writer, director, and star of the racy gay comedy series Danny Will Die Alone, making its debut this month on Dekkoo, caught me up on words, customs, even an app I'd never heard of, all elements in the fraught dating world of the show's single, gay, insatiable bottom central character.
Tracy knows Danny's world well. He's also a single, gay professional in New York City, and he based Danny Will Die Alone loosely on his own dating life, as well as his sex-and-romance-skewering podcast Dying Alone Together.
If you wait long enough, your favorite recording artist will have a musical based on their catalog of songs. Neil Diamond, Huey Lewis, Michael Jackson, and The Who are currently represented on Broadway. Clearly theatrical pop is cash in the bank.
So it stands to reason that Alicia Keys would jump on the bandwagon for the semi-autobiographical musical Hell's Kitchen. Reviews were fairly solid, and plenty of buzz was generated when the jukebox tuner premiered at the end of last year at New York's Public Theater.
It didn't even complete its run in January before Keys, along with producers, announced a transfer to Broadway, where it opened in April.
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