Wrapping up at the NAC this past weekend was Mary Zimmerman’s Tony-Award winning play, Metamorphoses. The piece, which took place in a pool of water, is a playfully anachronistic take on Ovid’s classic tales.
Zimmerman uses these classic myths to critique our contemporary world. Erysichthon’s tale of black comedy warns of the dangers of overconsumption. Baucis and Philemon’s story shows the importance of charity and humility. The play weaves together poignant, humourous, and tragic tales to delight the audience.
The staging of this production is inventively done through the use of two separate pools onstage. Bretta Gerecke’s set is magnificent and original. The ensemble cast makes full use of the multi-level mis-en-scène, which adds variety to the piece.
Metamorphoses is an incredibly demanding play. To succeed it requires a seamless ensemble cast with strong storytelling skills. This production unfortunately had difficulties finding the narrative contours of the myth, often relying too heavily on bawdy humour or high drama. The flamboyant nature of the comedy and tragedy gave the impression that the ensemble cast was trying to out-act each other, rather than act together.
The play also had audio problems; the cast had to shout over the music and sounds of falling water, which hindered their ability to add much-needed range to the piece. While the water-inspired music done by Jonathon Monro was beautiful, when combined with the actual water, it made for a messy soundscape.
The production could have benefitted from subtlety in both the acting style and the staging. Having one person tell the story and the actors “play it out” seemed the go-to staging technique. Overall, this piece was far too literal, and from the actor’s performances to the staging itself, it simply missed the mark.
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