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| Thursday, July 05, 2007 |
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Stage Advice: Ciao Eden
By Image Mag Staff @ 10:00 PM :: 354 Views ::
0 Comments :: Image Mag Editorial
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wordplay: Billy Schear
image courtesy Madison House
Glitter-coated muses, homoerotic overtones, and flesh-colored leotards serve to remind me just how fun Bible study could be, if only a subtle bit of interpretational drama was injected into it.
Upon entering the theater, one is greeted by a large metal tree with three young ladies napping in the shimmering braches, on top of a stage littered with passed out folk singers. I thought to myself: “Grand! This is exactly the way I pictured the Garden of Eden when reading about it in Sunday school.” Upon the dimming of the lights, the minstrels rose from their slumber and began sleepily playing their instruments. Initially, this stirred up some negative feelings, unexplainable save for my innate fear of Boulder musicians. It was a delight, however, that the band turned out to be talented and it was all the more enjoyable when the lights went up and they blended into the backstage area, remaining there as the house band throughout the duration of the show.
Somewhat of a Biblical cabaret, “Ciao Eden” follows the story of Adam and Eve as they stylistically explore one another’s sexuality like a couple of clumsy teenagers. They timidly flirt with one another throughout most of the first act before, as one might guess, they eat from the tree of knowledge and embark on one of those journeys into self-awareness that fortunately leads to a silhouette sex show that’s pretty close to hilarious. Despite how pedantic the idea might sound, the enthusiasm of the actors really helps in selling this musical. The all around level of performance is quite impressive, each and every actor, including those in the background, exuding a large share of adorableness that made it impossible not to smile and pay undivided attention. And Brian Shey’s musical compositions appropriately capture the mood of each and every scene quite perfectly.
The songs helped the story along, in so far as a catchy upbeat play nearly demands its performers burst out into song when simple dialogue can’t cut it. The singing was handled well by a cadre of silk tonsiled vocalists, making it quite easy on the ears. Lyrically, the songs were pretty hip too. I suppose they’d to be to have a large portion of the audience singing the jams from the first act out loud in the lobby during intermission.
Casey Collins’ direction of the living tree, muses and interpretive dancers culminates into a surprisingly coherent tale, and Liza Oxnard’s portrayal of Serena the infamous serpent is just as entrancing as it’s meant to be. The homosexually suggestive banter between her and Eve is reminiscent of a Pee-wee Herman stand-up special on the surface, perhaps a bit risqué but mostly innocent and cute. However, bubbling beneath is a certain sinister quality that is difficult to isolate, an analogy that also seems to fit the play as a whole. Only one question remains unanswered--on a stage with so many bare feet running around, how did they address the problem of foot fungus?
June 29th-July 1st @ Dairy Center (Boulder)
(303) 440.7826
TheDairy.org
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