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October 9, 2009
It's all in the retelling
Studio 58 production has laughs but misses mark.
BASYA LAYE
Langara College's Studio 58 is the only conservatory-style professional theatre-training program in Western Canada and is known for its high-calibre productions. As such, I had great expectations about the current production, Lot's Wife, written and directed by James Fagan Tait, with Israeli-transplant and Jewish community member Itai Erdal.
The promotional material leads with the question, "What really happened in Sodom and Gomorrah?" but the play is mostly a retelling of the story of Abraham and Sarah as they move through the desert, prompted by God to propogate a monotheistic people in the land of Canaan.
In the show's program notes, Fagan Tait writes, "What if the first person who wrote the Old Testament was a woman in the court of King Rehoboam who came after Solomon in the year 920 before the Common Era? What if she wrote it as a piece of fiction based on all the stories and legends of her people that were passed down orally from generation to generation? What if she had no religious or political agenda?"
It is necessary for viewers to read this disclaimer, I believe, as it contextualizes the many liberties in the production that might prove anachronistic and perhaps confusing to some.
Erdal writes, as an Israeli and as someone who grew up "surrounded by biblical scenery" in Jerusalem, "it is a pleasure to revisit some of those stories and interpret them...." Erdal translated from the biblical Hebrew and used other source material to round out the story, including the "writings of Moses Maimonides (the Rambam) who interpreted the Bible in the 12th century, as well as direct quotes from the Mishnah (third century) and the Talmud (sixth century), the first major works of Rabbinic Judaism."
The production suffered, however, in spite of the rigorous research that promised a deeper understanding of this foundational text. It was difficult to know what the audience was being asked to come away with, what message was being imparted by this play – if any. What comment was being made on the linkage between Abraham's monotheism, his negotiation for the lives of the innocent among the citizens of those famously sinful cities, Lot's wife's disobedience of God's instructions and the final tragic act of incest?
It felt as though the production was an attempt to update the story of Abraham and his nephew Lot and to detach it from its biblical (read "religious and political") trappings. While this is an interesting exercise for those involved, it left me wondering if the line between irreverence and mockery had indeed been crossed.
Overall though, the cast was strong, with several standout actors, including Jason Clift as Lot, Benjamin Elliot as God and Sean Oliver and Sean Hewlett as His angels, Samuel and Ephraim. It was also reasonably well directed, albeit a bit frantic at times. Erdal's lighting fit the mood generally, but there were scenes that were too dark and added to some sleepiness experienced.
There were several moments of good comedic timing from the cast and, once the production was in full swing, there were no moments of boredom for the filled-to-capacity audience.
Lot's Wife: An Epic Journey is at Langara College's Studio 58 until Oct. 18. For tickets and information, visit studio58.ca or ticketstonight.ca.
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