You're running out of time to go see a great show! The Goodman Theatre's production of
The White Snake runs
through June 8. Halfstack staff writer Rob Samuelson brings his take.
The oral tradition is directly
responsible for every piece of storytelling that has succeeded it.
Stage plays, with their inability to literally conjure every
fantastical notion put forth by the script, rely on many of the same
tools as ancient tale spinners – suggestion, simple design, and
trust in the audience's imagination. The Goodman Theatre's current
production of Mary Zimmerman's The White Snake
amplifies this concept with production design that would have wowed
the ancients around the fire.
The White Snake,
Zimmerman's adaptation of an ancient Chinese fable about a centuries
old snake god choosing the mortal world after finding love with a
common man, uses deceptively simple design elements to tell its
story. On its face, set designer Daniel Ostling's limited,
unchanging stage – the 100-minute play is performed in one act with
no intermission – vaguely resembles the bamboo structures of old
China one might be familiar with from history classes.
But
Zimmerman and the rest of the designers, Mara Blumenfeld (costumes),
T.J. Gerckens (lighting), Andre Pluess (music and sound) and Shawn
Sagady (production design) give perpetual aural and visual jolts that
fundamentally change the way the audience perceives the goings on.
Blumenfeld's creature designs humanize these pieces of rubber and
cloth, especially when operated by the titular character (Amy Kim
Waschke) and her impetuous companion, Greeny (a younger, green snake
god played by Tanya Thai McBride); the human characters'
personalities reflect in every aspect of their clothing, too.
Gerckens's lighting is a primary color smorgasbord reminiscent of old
comic books, and his intricate gobos seamlessly place the audience in
forests, pharmacies and monasteries. Pluess's music accompanies the
show's overall light tone with a whimsical sense of purpose, and his
songs – this is a musical, too – are catchy. Sagady's work
overseeing this madcap design deserves the ultimate commendation,
particularly for the animated backdrop that alternately resembles
watercolor paintings, old paperback book illustrations and colonial
maritime maps depending on the scene.
But as
dazzling as the production elements are, they would be empty and
soulless style exercises if they served a less than stellar story and
the actors. In writer-director Zimmerman's take, this fable's
inherent melodramatic components – choosing love over other
opportunities, no matter what other, “wiser” people tell you –
are married to a Disney-esque entertainment style that considers
humor and adventure as integral to a story's success as the “big
themes.” McBride's Greeny is hilarious in her inability to squash
her emotions and her constant schemes to keep up her human
appearance. Waschke's White Snake tries to remain noble and
dignified while often succumbing to her desires, often with amusing
results. Jon Norman Schneider, as the White Snake's human husband,
Xu Xian, is an upstanding man, if a nervous ball of confusion,
particularly once things inevitably get confusing and fantastical.
And Matt DeCaro, as the villainous monk, Fa Hai, brings a Scar-like
quality to his Machiavellian manipulations, without going to
mustache-twirling extremes.
Zimmerman
and her collaborators make their ancient forebears proud with their
production of The White Snake.
The oral fable is enlivened by modern technology and cultural ideas
about humor, but the truth at the heart of the story remains strong:
committing to loving people over status will inevitably be better for
you, no matter the costs.
Rob Samuelson is a writer from Chicago.
Stories of all stripes are his thing. You can read his weekly column here at Halfstack, his personal blog at
Defeating Boredom, and occasionally at The TVAddict. Follow him on Twitter @Rob_Samuelson.
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