Pax Amicus Theatre, Budd Lake, NJ - Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009 - 2PM
The King of Funny Faces' Review
Cross-posted here.
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"This is the best production of Oedipus that has ever been done."
Stan Barber didn't mind saying so, after his own production today of Oedipus the King at Pax Amicus Castle Theatre in Budd Lake, New Jersey. He has been leading the Theatre Group there for 39 seasons. Then he said, "I'm sorry" with a smirk and a shrug of his shoulder like Mohammed Ali. In other words, Stan Barber is prepared to defend that claim if anyone out there - anyone in the whole world - were to try to take him to task for saying it.
I haven't seen any other performances of Oedipus the King, so I can't verify the autheniticity of his claim for sure, but it is certainly the best one I have ever seen. It definitely sets a very high standard that any company that tries to perform it again in my presence is going to have to contend with.
The performance was dark and scary and well done, like a good tragedy should. I remember thinking that the way the actors moved and spoke were remarkable long before I heard Mr. Barber make his claim. The characters literally jumped out at the audience. The closing of the first Act was positively haunting. The chorus seemed to literally float out over the audience and evaporate when the lights went dark.
The dialogue in the play, from a 1984 translation from the Ancient Greek by Don Taylor XIII, was equally impressive.
"Scorns! Hurricanes! Let them come!""It must go on! I must know the truth!"
and, in a softer voice that is even more chilling:
"Why should I take pilgimages...to any holy place..if the gods' warnings provoke laughter, and no thought of what comes after?"
In the beginning of the play, Oedipus (Jordan Feltner), a member of the royal family of neighboring Corinth who married the Queen of Thebes after her husband was murdered (ostensibly by bandits and thieves) is determined to find out who killed the previous king. It remains a mystery how Oedipus has been unaware of the circumstances of his predecessors' murder for so long, but what is known is that he is determined to find out the truth. He is prepared to grant mercy on the perpetrator if he shows himself, but none if he tries to hide. A prophet accuses him of the murder in an early scene and then the madness begins. Oedipus' uncle/brother-in-law Creon (Daniel Kisala) was as wise as a character can get. He defended himself admirably against the King's unreasonable accusations. He is the true hero of the play, and the second-most highly developed character. Jocasta (Cynthia Enfield) is listed second on the playbill, but her character is not as highly developed as Creon.
Jocasta is not qa wicked queen who seduced her own son. All the characters in the play are sympathetic. Oedipus is truly not an evil man, even though he is a mass murderer. He is a well-meaning king and father who saved the citizens of Thebes (his "children") by solving the Riddle of the Sphinx. But, like many great men, he was driven insane by circumstances completely beyond his control. Jocasta's declaration that her Son/Husband is a doomed man when she sends him into exile is not a personal attack, or an insult intended to hurt the man. It is just a fact: something that needs to be said. And that is what makes it genuinely more horrifying than any of the torture-porn movies that are produced in the cinema these days.
Sophocles' Oedipus the King is a tragedy in the truest sense. The story of the doomed king of Thebes, who was prophesised to kill his own father and then fall in love with and marry his mother. It has been a classic since it came out 2420 years ago. It inspired an entire psychoanalytic theory. If it has stayed alive for 2420 years, it will probably influences the world forever. It is essential viewing for anyone with an interest in psychology, psychoanalysis, psychiatry, ancient history and tragedy.
There is still three more performances in Budd Lake. Catch them if you can.
Monday, November 16 - 10 pm
I am very pleased that this production was a success at Pax Amicus, which has been the local Community Theatre in my area since before I was born. I have a picture of me outside the Castle Theater (which anyone can see from the road if they look across Budd Lake from Route 46) greeting an actor in an animal costume in the late 1970's. I have been looking for it...when I find it, I will be sure to update this blog again and post at least a link to it.
Someday, I would be very happy to be able to audition (and get a part) at this theatre. You know I will post about that, too. I have been critical of Pax Amicus in the past. I feel bad now. I feel like I was close-minded and boneheaded, but I know now that was not a sensible way to proceed.
Long live Pax Amicus Castle Theatre! Long Live Stan Barber! Long Live Jordan Feltner, Cynthia Enfield and Daniel Kisala! Long live everyone involved with this production!
Warm Regards,
Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782
From bottom left: Creon, Jocasta, The K.o.F.F. and Oedipus the King
