With this unique blend of dance and drama, director/playwright/choreographer Andrew Boyer has fashioned an original 90-minute blend of mythology, folk tale and pure imagination to tell the story of one young man's fantastic quest. In "The Terrible Head," adapted from the 1889 Andrew Lang story of the same name (as well as Greek mythology's Perseus and Gorgon), music, movement and storytelling meld together to form an unusual evening of theater.
Drawn to journey stories and inspired by current world events, Boyer created several incarnations of this choreographed piece that would ultimately become Mythic Proportions Theatre's premiere production. For those familiar with Boyer's sources of inspiration there are a few variations, twists and turns here that will surprise, most especially being the play's devastating climax.
The storytelling/dancing ensemble of nine performers cleverly play multiple roles and serve a myriad of purposes throughout the piece to varying degrees of success. Their strength lies in their talent and ability to speak through sheer movement, especially when performing in unison. At times you'll forget you're watching nine dancers and begin to see them as one unit representing objects, creatures and forces of nature. One memorable instance is when The Boy (Brent Walker) begins his journey on an undulating human bridge of dancers that support and convey him across the expanse, never letting him falter or touch the ground. Several other beautiful moments occur as when three dancers credited as The Terrible Trio (Kate Froehlich, Jennifer LaTurner and Amy Sherman) become all manner of writhing creatures with the singular purpose of thwarting The Boy's goal. And both Carley Cornelius as The Mother and Matt Roben as The Forest God share an unforgettable bacchanal scene in the woods.
Unfortunately where the production sometimes suffers is when speech is employed to tell the tale. Several of the actors are either difficult to hear over the well-chosen background music or their diction and richness fail to match the loftiness of the story or their talent as dancers. In such an epic tale the voices must match the grandeur of the event: full, resonant and commanding. Gabriel Pastrana understands and accomplishes this in his portrayal of The King and the Terrible Trio make themselves heard as well as seen, both individually and collectively.
Everything considered, however, this novel company's first outing offers much promise for other movement-inspired stories to come, utilizing unique choreography, unusual masks, inspired costuming and creative lighting.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
