If you’re like me you can’t catch every play you’d like to see, but it’s worth the effort to get to South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa for “You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!” (continuing through May 3). Not because Keiko Green’s dark existential comedy about human beings and our relationship to the earth was a finalist for the prestigious Blackburn Prize, but because you may kick yourself some day for missing this world premiere if you don’t.
This thought-provoking play “begins at the end” when a couple gets bad news about the husband’s aggressive tumor; before long, they’re laughingly telling their 20-year-old offspring Dad is dying of cancer. He’s dying, but then so’s the planet, and suddenly he’s obsessed with climate change and what we’re doing to this celestial body we call home.
A fine ensemble cast, led by Joel de la Fuente and River Gallo, brings the play to life. Zi Alikhan’s fluid direction and his crew’s imaginative contributions in support (notably Adam Rigg’s scenic design and Barbara Samuel’s lighting) make this highly theatrical play one that will endure in the memory for some time to come.
“End of the World!” anchors SCR’s Pacific Playwright’s Festival (staged readings, May 2-4), along with their next production, Noa Gardner’s “The Staircase” (Apr. 27-May 18). Info: scr.org.
Before jealousy fueled a million or more country western songs, it figured prominently in the plot of several of Shakespeare’s plays, most notably “Othello.” In the seldom-performed “The Winter’s Tale,” the insidious “green-eyed monster” wreaks havoc in the lives of two old friends, King Leontes of Sicilia and King Polixenes of Bohemia. The American Ballet Theatre brought this obscure tale to life earlier this month in a delightful production at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.
Shakespeare purists may have objected to this wordless adaptation, but there are no famous lines in this late romance—no heartfelt poetry to rival “Romeo and Juliet,” no great wit to match “Much Ado About Nothing.” The memorable stage direction, “Exit, pursued by a bear,” typically involving an actor in a bear costume (as in UC Irvine’s wonderful staging a few summers ago), was imaginatively realized by an illustration of the animal on a huge drape fluttering over the stage.
ABT utilized enough of the plot to give the evening structure, letting Christopher Wheeldon’s exquisite choreography take care of the rest. Joby’s Talbot’s music, and Bob Crowley’s sets and costumes enhanced the performances of young company members hailing from Sun Valley, Idaho, to Guadalajara, Seoul to Odessa.
Coming up at SCFTA: Miami City Ballet’s rendition of Alexei Ratmansky’s “Swan Lake” (June 20-22), ABT’s “Giselle” (July 24-27), and San Francisco Ballet’s “Frankenstein” (Oct. 2-5). Info: scfta.org.
Sharon Omi (Golden Toad), Anna LaMadrid, Joel de la Fuente and Rafael Goldstein (Rat) in “You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!” Photo by Scott Smeltzer.
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