'Melancholy Play'
In Sarah Ruhl’s whimsical comedy, a young bank teller (Kristen Brennan) has developed such an exquisite sense of melancholy that two men (Alexander Wells, Daniel Getzoff) and two women (Elizabeth Clemmons, Natalie Hall) fall in love with her – or at least with her bittersweetness. Their love makes her so happy that she sheds her melancholy – and with it, her appeal. The last part of the play enters magical realism territory, as one of the characters turns into an almond (read the program notes) before harmony can triumph. Reminiscent of Charles Mee’s lighter plays, Ruhl’s lark has fun with the conventional wisdom that drama requires unhappy characters – and with the notion that solo cello music (provided by Michael Levin) is the surefire way to express melancholy. Barbara Kallir’s staging is perfectly in tune with the play’s tongue-in-cheek disposition.
Son of Semele Ensemble, 3301 Beverly Blvd., L.A. Info: (800) 838-3006 or Sonofsemele.org. Fris.-Sats. at 8 p.m.; Suns. at 7 p.m. Closes Feb. 24.
2008-02-07
Published: 02/06/2008
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