Friday
Sept 23, 2005
SGN.org
Volume 33
Issue 38
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Saturday, Nov 21, 2009
08:24
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| NOTE** finding non clickable links? Sorry these columns are not featured in this weeks edition - |
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Two love stories, one with music and one without, both good |
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| Two love stories, one with music and one without, both good | ||
| By Rajkhet Dirzhud-Rashid
- SGN A&E Writer Cathay: Three Tales of China Directed by Ping Chong Starring members of the Shaanxi Folk Art Theatre of Xian China, and members of The Carter Family Puppet Theater Seattle Repertory Theatre September 14-October 9th The Last Five Years Directed by David Hsieh Starring: JasonKappus, Jessica Skerritt, Re-Act at Freehold, East Hall Studio September 8th-October 2nd Some love stories require more than one take to tell the whole story and even span more than one lifetime, and according to many cultures, if love is true, and pure, the lovers may be separated in one life, but can reincarnate to love again. A rather 'woo woo' concept for a lot of folks to wrap their brains around, but in Ping Chong's 'Cathay: Three Tales of China', not only do the lovers (played by beautifully crafted puppets from the Shaanxi Folk Art Theatre of Xian, China, and voiced by humans, who are never seen) get to reincarnate and find each other again, but two people brought together by war are able to meet, in this life, when they are older and make peace with what could have been a deadly moment in both their lives. The first story traces the love affair between a legendary emperor who comes to love and marry a beautiful courtesan, only to find that her influence distracts him from the evil ministrations of her brother, who brings the kingdom to near ruin. This then leads the newlywed empress to sacrifice herself to save the kingdom and satisfy the unruly troops, but a promise of love forever is made between emperor and empress before she dies. And the second story, though it happens in the same region of China, progresses the brewing revolution of the imperial time, to the historical events around the Shaanxi Massacre of many Chinese villagers at the hands of Japanese troops, many years before Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. into battling the same Japanese army. In this story, a young boy is nearly killed by one of the soldiers, and it is not until the last tale that we, the audience get to see that the soldier showed mercy, as again history marches forward into our modern age. And in this age, the imperial story of 'forever love' is brought full circle as a young man and woman meet, feel they have met before and a new relationship is born between them, looping all of the stories together with one common thread of love, human frailty and a much needed theme of compassion in the midst of war. Having seen some of Chong's earlier work at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, I have to say this is his most realized and most accessible piece, and that it is a rich experience both visually and emotionally. Also, in light of recent events, 'Cathay: Three Tales of China' is a wonderfully refreshing reminder that love, and hope indeed, do conquer all things. For more information on tickets, call: 443-2222. Ah, and then there's, in the words of the genius performer, David Bowie, 'modern love', that onus of the last century that all of us both cannot stop falling into and yet, somehow cannot seem to perfect to the point of not having it be, at some point, painful. I'm talking about, of course, 'the relationship', and in this case, a heterosexual one (though it could have been Gay, and still the aches would have been the same for the characters, I'm sure). Two bright young things, Cathy and Jamie (Jessica Skerritt and Jason Kappus) meet, flirt, fall instantly for each other, date, and then have their respective careers (she's a budding actress and he's a writer) careen into each other. And yes, things do get messy, as he becomes an overnight success and she muddles along doing summer stock in little towns, trying to get 'that big break'. And as he becomes more successful, groupies and parties start keeping the two apart, even after they are married, and she becomes more and more uptight and insecure. Told through a 'his point of view', and 'her point of view' type of staging, we get to see the beginning, middle and end, but not necessarily in that order. And somehow viewing them at different points-her sad, him happy, him sad, her happy-only serves to echo how fragile and fleeting is that thing called love, and how one never can change the course of a relationship, even as it's going 'south'. So, 'The Last Five Years' is just that, but it's also a chronicle of two people's hearts, and a look at how we all want love, but how difficult it is to keep love and have careers and the whole kit and caboodle. Buoyed by a marvelous song score, and sung by two strong leads, with very good vocal chords, 'The Last Five Years' has to be the best production I've seen this year, and by far one of the best by local theater group, The Repertory Actors Theatre. Also, it's good to see these guys be this good, knowing that they suffered some crushing blows, by having their equipment stolen twice, from two different theaters, in two different productions! Way to go Re-Act, you just keep getting better and better and this show proves that, hands down. For ticket information, call: 325-6500, or go online to wwww.ticketwindowonline.com, or to www.brownpapertickets.ocom, or call 624-6600, or 800-962-5311. |
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International Readers |
 THE GAY AND NON-GAY PARTNERSHIP WORKING TO WIN MARRIAGE EQUALITY NATIONWIDE |
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