Cross a Greek myth with 28 inches of water and you’ll get Metamorphoses, a play based on Ovid’s epic poem of the same name. Throw in some UH student actors and a man whose roles are part director and part lifeguard and you get a wild performance playing at the Jose Quintero Theatre in the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts.
Bringing new meaning to the phrase "Olympic swimming pool," the performance actually has a 28-inch deep pool as the center of its setting. The actors use this to add a certain dream-like quality to their movements, suddenly able to pass through the stage and present a new dimension in acting.
Originally envisioned and directed by Mary Zimmerman in Chicago, the play has made its way from Northwestern University to UH, with a stint on Broadway for good measure, where theater professor Jack Young has taken up the directorial mantle for this completely re-imagined classic.
Though not quite "hip," this faithful interpretation is contemporary.
"This play is somewhat like a cover album of The Beatles or (Bob) Dylan," Young said. "Everyone in the classics community was like, ‘Wow!’ when they heard about this."
Zimmerman’s decision to use the swimming pool as a set piece was mostly influenced by the fluid and malleable nature of water, which has a high degree of respect in Greece and Greek mythology.
Young said the pool will allow actors to move in ways not normally associated with the stage, which made for some interesting decisions. By having the extra depth, actors are able to disappear and reappear on stage without the use of trapdoors or running off into the wings.
The play is easily understandable and accessible to everyone, regardless of one’s knowledge of classical mythology.
With its universal themes and well-known problems, the performance is a nice anchor in turbulent times.
"People reach for familiar things in times of trouble. Now seems a little disorienting…. This play is food for the soul," Young said.
Even with stories of eternal romance between Ceyx and Alcyone, Eurydice’s ill-fated marriage to Orpheus and King Midas’ tragic touch, the play isn’t all tragedy – there’s a wry twist on Phaeton’s ride around the sun in Apollo’s chariot in here, too.
Running at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and from Tuesday to Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinee showings on Sunday and Nov. 23 at 2 p.m., this production promises to make a splash.
Metamorphoses
Who: UH’s School of Theatre and Dance
What: Metamorphoses
When: 8 p.m. Nov. 13-15, 18-22 and 2 p.m. Nov 16 and 23
Where: Jose Quintero Theatre at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts
