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I learned a lot this past weekend at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre's season opener, Seascape, not the least of which being that I am more of a big, green lizard than I realized; and that getting in touch with one's evolutionary, rather than biological, clock can be surprisingly therapeutic. Naturally, I expected to relate to the humans (Charlie, played by Paul E. Orwick, and Nancy, played by Marilyn Lynch) - but I quickly recognized a surprising simpatico with the lizards (Sarah, played by Katie Ligon, and Leslie, played by Sam Wright). In fact, both sets of mirror-image characters are struggling to come to terms with their relationships and their mortality. Together they form an unlikely partnership brought together by the whimsical nudge of natural - or maybe unnatural - selection.

The driving human element in Seascape immediately intrigued me:  a long-married couple, enjoying a sand dune picnic, "in the throes of midlife facing the rest of their lives with each other." Written in 1975 but set in the "now", the play's timelessness has allowed a wide and varied demographic to identify with the characters. Young couples, still decades from their own "throes", may marvel in disbelief that this is what relationships can come to; couples on the cusp or in the midst of the process will relate all too well, and probably uncomfortably so; and older couples in the "been there, done that" category likely sit amused, giving each other the occasional knowing smirk, and reminiscing about having already paid those dues. Healthy relationships, like lizards (and theatres!), must evolve. The fit ones survive; the weak ones fizzle into the black hole of Darwinism. All too often, relationships that start out like picnics slowly deteriorate into stagnant tidal pools that no one wants to swim in, but in the midst of such throes the tricky part is that nobody can tell which couples are going to be which. Ironically, it is Leslie - one of the non-humans - who waxes philosophical at the dilemma faced by Charlie and Nancy, observing the very human realization that one must "make your nest and accept a whole array of things".

For me, the clear standout of the evening was Paul E. Orwick as Charlie, who delivered a finely nuanced character, deftly moving through a range of subtle emotions. He does a particularly fine job conveying the complexities of Charlie's non-verbal emotional transitions. I found myself drawn in as he moved effortlessly between willing engagement and indifference at Nancy's incessant prodding; whimsical reminiscence about boyhood fixations with the relaxing, underwater solitude into which he often escaped; and sensitive emotional distress as he struggles to come to terms with the revelations being unleashed on him by Nancy. Orwick's well-honed comedic timing lent further credibility to the overall effect.

Marilyn Lynch's Nancy, whom I felt took some time to solidify and synchronize with Orrick's Charlie, eventually managed to energetically provide the critical ebbs and flows that drove the couple's highly charged emotional interactions. Together they portrayed a believable and, yes, very human partnership.

That said - and despite having no reptilian theatrical performances to compare to - I found Katie Ligon and Sam Wright's characters to be equally well executed. It probably goes without saying that it requires confident thespian skills to deliver believable performances while on "all-fours" in green lizard suits. Wright, in particular, quite successfully becomes his character, in part by adopting a subtle physical posturing that enhances the viewers' willingness to reasonably suspend disbelief and embrace the (intentional) absurdity.

Lighting Design, by Kyle Shelley, was static, yet appropriately functional for the setting. Sound Design, by Donna Miller, added to the shoreline mood via a subtle, ambient soundscape. The show's production standouts were the whimsical reptilian costuming - the term lizard leotards kept popping into my head - smartly designed by Jan Chapman. In addition to directing, Karen Paisley also wore the Set Design hat, which included overseeing the approximately 200 man-hours dedicated to its construction - complete with an impressive tonnage of  "beach".

The on-stage achievements in both acting and production reflected outwards to shine the metaphorical spotlight on the unique strengths that characterize this warm and inviting theatre experience. I should think that the worst criticism for a large, flashy, and endlessly funded theatre is to put on grand performances that, in the end, fall short despite the critical mass (and, oftentimes, the under-deserved critical acclaim) that sustains them. Similarly, the greatest compliment a small (but growing), unpretentious, productions-on-a-shoestring theatre could hope for is to know that it exceeds its objectives and, in many instances, reveals the potential to outshine its leviathan contemporaries.

This opening night performance of Seascape marks the beginning of MET's fifth season and its third venue - evidence of its growing success and stability in the very healthy, but unforgiving, Kansas City arts community. It strikes me as no small coincidence that the undercurrents which impel Seascape's plot -  "mutate or perish" - similarly represent the formula for success that is the driving force behind MET's increasing visibility. In that ongoing effort to become and remain more prominent, the one characteristic that captured my attention more than any other was the palpable sense of pride and accomplishment over the recent installation of MET's very first signage, and I find myself referring to Paisley's Director's Notes to describe its symbolism:  the dedicated people responsible for MET's success "[are] not vagrants anymore. There is a sign out front that says we're here."

Thanks to that plucky resilience, Kansas City's arts community will be all the more vibrant for it...

REVIEW:
Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre
Seascape
By Edward Albee
Directed by Karen Paisley
Runs September 10 - October 4 (Reviewed Friday, September 11, 2009)
MET Space
3614 Main Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-569-3226 or online at http://www.metkc.org 


Top Photo:
Sam Wright and Latie Ligon. Photo by Jack Clifford

 

By Christopher Guerin

Traditional and New Classical music, and Theatre Contributor (Past writer)
Christopher Guerin holds degrees in Music Education, Music Business, and Music Theory & Composition, the latter from the University of Massachusetts (Lowell) College of Music where he co-founded the college's Composers' Guild, and, in 1985, won the Artin Arslanian Composition Award. During college, he also obtained some musical theatre experience as a member of pit orchestras for Threepenny Opera and My Fair Lady. Since 1989, Christopher has been in the very non-artistic corporate sector, where his creative energies have been put to more mundane endeavors 

Christopher credits his musical motivations to his late father, who was concertmaster of the Springfield (MA) Community (pre-cursor to the city's current Symphony) Orchestra and performed popular music on radio in the 1930s. Christopher began his classical training in 1972 at age 10, began teaching at 16 (continuing to take private students throughout college), and traveled extensively with a youth orchestra - including to New Zealand in 1980. After college, and until 1989, Christopher focused on the business end of music as a successful sales manager for one of New England's largest music chains.

Over the past 20 years, Christopher's expertise has focused on medicine as a life risk underwriting officer for a large Midwest insurance group. His past duties included responsibility for risk underwriting in Pacific Rim markets where he traveled extensively to Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand and Burma. Time permitting, he has continued to compose intermittently throughout this period. Christopher is married to Paula, a fellow musician he met during college, and together they have "composed" their magnum opera in three very creative children - an architecture student (go K-State!), an aspiring classical pianist, and a budding writer/journalist. He and his wife relocated from Massachusetts to the Kansas City area in 1997.