The American Stage adaptation of Metamorphoses combines innovative staging with classical tales of the divine and human that never lose their relevance.
By MARTY CLEAR
Published November 11, 2004
[Times photo: Bill Serne]
Gathered around the pool essential to the action of American Stage’s Metamorphoses are, from left, Ben Masur (playing Man No. 2), Nevada Caldwell (Woman No. 3), Colleen McDonnell (Woman No. 2) and Emilia Sargent (Woman No. 5) during a dress rehearsal for the play.
ST. PETERSBURG - Ever since Todd Olson first saw an off-Broadway play called Metamorphoses a couple of years ago, he has been longing to stage it himself.
"I saw one of the last performances before it went to Broadway," said Olson, the artistic director of American Stage. "And I just found myself thinking about Metamorphoses for a long time after that. It was such an artful assembly of the fables."
The play, based on the fables of Ovid, the Roman poet who lived at the time of Christ, became the sensation of the New York theater scene. Time magazine called it "the number 1 show of the year" in 2002, and the Wall Street Journal, hardly known for effusive praise of cutting-edge art, called it "a gift from the gods."
Olson, who at the time was assistant director of a theater in Nashville, wanted to share the gift. But he had to wait.
It's extremely difficult for a regional theater to get the rights to perform a show that's still on Broadway. There were logistical concerns as well.
Primarily, those involved the set. A large pool of water is essential to the play. It's a pretty impressive undertaking for a New York City theater; it's astounding for an intimate theater in St. Petersburg.
Still, when Olson came to American Stage last year, Metamorphoses was high on his wish list of productions.
"We wanted to do it last year, but we didn't have enough answers, or even enough questions," Olson said. "I think there's a couple of thousand gallons of water on the stage. We visited a lot of pool companies to find out about building it, repairing it and cleaning it. Once I realized we could do it, I thought it was a play that could raise the high bar we've set for ourselves, and I think we've accomplished that."
The set, classically inspired, with an almost gothic feel, is likely to wow audiences before they even reach their seats. But it's not just flashy stagecraft for its own sake. Fundamentally, Metamorphoses is a work of ideas and emotions, and the set should enhance of the play, not overpower it.
"It's a group of 10 interrelated stories that are told through these fables," said director Brian Jucha. "They're told one after another, but they do seem to have a commonality of themes of faith and love and the gods. There's also an ongoing theme of the elements, and how we relate to water as a source of life."
Jucha, a New York director who's working with American Stage for the first time, said he understands that Metamorphoses might sound overly esoteric and intellectual. Audiences who give it a chance, though, will be impressed by the way the ancient themes still resonate.
"It has elements of spectacle, and it has elements of mythology," Jucha said. "But it also just hits on a gut level. It's about the way we love one another and the way we treat each other as human beings. One of the most powerful things about it is how relevant and immediate it is to our own lives."
PREVIEW: Metamorphoses, Friday through Dec. 4 at American Stage, St. Petersburg. $22-$32. Nov. 16 and 30 are "pay what you can" performances. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Call 727 823-7529 or go to www.americanstage.org
