BRINDLEWOOD – Written by Ryan Glaser; Directed by Andy Seracuse. Produced by Third Side Theatre Company (Presented at The People’s Building, 9995 East Colfax, Aurora) through September 13. Tickets available at ThePeoplesBuilding.com.
I saw a delightful little fairy tale tonight – a sort of combination of Alice in Wonderland and Little Red Riding Hood. But with music and whimsy and puppets. Oh, my, what puppets! Designed and created by Kellie Fox, these creatures are active, a little scary, a lot funny, and are used to provide guidance to Elara, the little girl lost in the woods. We have a trio of black birds that fly overhead, a giant owl (a magnificent creature) whose very size is intimidating, a quartet of forest animals that dance, and a forgetful weeping willow, among others. They all have something to add to Elara’s journey. Ms. Fox’s work uses a variety of movement mechanisms, all manipulated by the five actors. Quite amazing to watch how they each move. It becomes easy to forget that the animals are not just moving themselves.
The story is slight but meaningful as a young girl, Elera (played by Alex Seracuse) wanders into the forbidden territory of the woods, despite having been warned by her mother (LeAnn Ritter) to not go past a certain point. Mother seems to know that she will not follow this advice and gives her instructions on how to get back home after the inevitable trip into the woods. Elara also has a younger sister (Kayla Curneen) and a stepfather (?) (Brian Dowling). The fifth member of the acting troupe is Jeremiah Martinez.
There is a sort of metaphysical aspect to the story – a hint of a young girl’s journey into the unknown territory of adolescence, but it’s not hammered into a “don’t miss this” message. The story seems to be a framework on which to hang the music and the whimsy of the puppets.
The music and the story were both designed by Ryan Glaser, the playwright and composer. The music is, at times, ethereal and other worldly. At other times, there is a folk quality to the melodies. Then it will break into a little dance number with the fox leading the fun. The excellent five-piece band provides the foley sound effects (the very subtle campfire burning was fun) as well as a well-balanced background for Elara’s journey.
This was one of the most effective uses of the (sometimes) overwhelming stage area provided by the People’s Building. The audience is on two sides of the playing area, which creates an easy intimacy. Both the house from early scenes and the forest are clearly defined by columns that rise into the sky. The demands of the script are cleverly met by three or four designed pieces that become the enhancement for the forest and the comfort of the house. The acoustics are sometimes problematic in the People’s Building, but Sound Designer Russ Kirby solved the problems by gently micing his actors and balancing the live music, the voices and animal sounds on all sides. Very subtle lighting changes from the sunshine of the house to the dark quality of the forest were expertly manipulated by Alex Homa, the Light Designer. The Third Side Company is do-it-yourself theatre; everything you see and hear during the course of the performance is created jointly by the company.
This was an evening appropriate for young and old alike. It’s a short run, so don’t let it slip by. Come for the puppets – stay for the story. David Bowie would have loved this show – so will you.
A WOW factor of 8.75!!