Anna Moore/Collegian
Michelle Long (L), Mo Simpson as
Theseus, and Tory Moul.
Passion is strong. Love is stronger. But strongest yet is the curse of the gods, which reduces the human to powerlessness. These are the themes the Tower Players' latest production explores in the French Neoclassical tragedy, Phaedra .
Jean Racine, fascinated by Phaedra's continual torment of trying to overcome her passion for her stepson, wrote this famous adaptation to the story, which is based on Greek mythology.
The character of Phaedra is spasmodic: She is driven by a lustful infatuation with her husband's son, and as she does so she keeps the attention of her audience--dashing unpredictably across the hand-painted, mosaic walkway in her flowing gowns of silk. And if the vivid colors of Phaedra's dresses don't catch your eye, her excessive gold jewelry will as it glistens and dangles with every quick movement.
Love wastes no time in splashing color on the opening scene, as the characters reveal their true love for another-the young prince ardently desires the forbidden princess, Aricia, who in turn admits her desire for him.
As though following suit, Phaedra, played by senior Julie Hershberger, also reluctantly confesses of her own crush that has spiraled out of control. Indeed, perhaps even the four pillars mounted on the stage quake at her confession of being in love with her stepson, Hippolytus, played by sophomore Mitchell Koory.
The tension builds in the beautifully crafted Temple of Aphrodite, as Phaedra divulges her reckless feelings for Hippolytus, and risking all, throws her tiny self on the prince, hoping against all hope he will return her incestuous love.
Perhaps all emotions, as well as lighting displays, are reserved for the climatic moment of Phaedra's confession to Hippolytus, in which the innocent prince hears the truth coming from the Queen, "Phaedra, in all her madness, stands before you. I love you."
The lighting and musical selections take advantage not only of dramatic moments, but also of changes in the script, colorfully descending upon character soliloquies and earnest petitions to the gods.
Sophomore Eily Hallagan does a splendid job playing Oenone, the devoted nurse and companion to the fickle Phaedra. In Phaedra's darkest moments-and there are plenty-Oenone stands or kneels by the side of the Queen, offering advice and counsel, for better or worse.
King Theseus, senior Mo Simpson, does not enter the stage until halfway through the play, but when he does come, trouble brews and passions explode.
Written in 1677, the whole script is a sort of rhyming verse-a rhyme that adds to the beauty, context and delivery of the words. The audience does not feel tied to the rhyme itself, but to the rhythm and flow that moves the tragedy along through the heartbreaks.
After reading 18 different translations of Phaedra , director George Angell settled on Robert Lowell's version because it is "the freest of the translations," allowing the Tower Players to adapt this play for their purposes.
And it is done well. Each of the cast's 10 members have developed their characters beautifully, showing that acting is so much more than donning silk fabrics and curling their tresses. The dialogue of the two hour play is rich and rewarding, and according to Angell, "very unrelenting."
The scenes in Phaedra begin and end with intensity, marked by the refreshing performances by the noble Aricia, sophomore Rhiannon Angell, and Hippolytus' confidant, Theramenes, freshman Christopher Stewart, to name two.
Perhaps it is only coincidence that Phaedra's dying word is "purity"-a virtue she saw as remarkable in Hippolytus, but which she could not have herself. But more likely Racine was intentionally pointing out the irony in this closing scene.
There is a constant conflict throughout the play between passion and reason, and this struggle is seen most clearly in Phaedra's pleading words to Oenone, "Now you must serve my frenzy, not my reason."
Each of the characters must determine how they will deal with this passion that moves subtly, and in the case of Phaedra, not so subtly, across the stage which is set on a cliff overlooking the Aegean River. And as in the case of most classic tragedies, some of them will choose death: They will consider death their only option.
The Tower Players boast that Phaedra is "the greatest tragedy by the finest tragedian."
Indeed, this drama takes many psychological turns and twists, leaving its audience to grapple with the recurring themes of passion and pursuit, devotion and above all, the constant struggle between the innocent and the guilty.