The Circuit Theatre Company has the talent
and the stamina to stage Nathan Allen’s wildly imaginative fantasy called THE
VALENTINE TRILOGY—That’s three plays at the same time—in three weeks! (through
August 17th). You can see them all in the same day or see only one
of the three, if you like. The theme of heroism connects all three but each can
stand on its own. The first is written in the style of a Western movie. The
second uses Japanese film for its palette and the third is inspired by
superhero film noir.
I saw the middle “Samurai” story, CURSE OF
THE CRYING HEART, an epic tale of loyalty, betrayal, romance and fate, which,
oh so strangely…and quite wonderfully, features a rock band so that the hero
can articulate his distress (“Sayonara, Sadness”) in song! Allen’s clever script
is both send-up and tribute to the genre.
The rather convoluted story of curses, evil
plots and spectacular interventions is brilliantly directed by Skyler Fox.
We’re delighted right from the get-go, even before the story starts, when a
large Japanese scroll unfurls (sideways so we can read it like a screen crawl)
with vital information about a princess who is the only heir to the Japanese
throne and the evil man who killed her father and intends to kill her. It tells
us “the princess waits for a hero.”
Our hero (Ryan Vona) is the last samurai, a
man with an exceptional sword (coveted by that evil man) which can vanquish a
throng of ninjas in a trice. All the good guys, it turns out, are better
swordsmen than those poor ninjas. Sam Bell-Gurwitz as captain of the Princess’
guards dispatches a half dozen villains before breakfast! (Fight choreographer
Trevor Olds makes it look incredibly dangerous!)
Circuit’s cast is marvelously game, with Vona
leading the pack as the rock star/hero, surrounded by the stalwart
Bell-Gurwitz, by Madeline Wolf-Schulman as the spunky princess, Becca Millstein
as the poisonous femme fatale, Graham Techler as the Princess’ unfortunate
intended and by Justin Phillips and Simon Henriques as enemies of the state.
Edan Laniado and Natalie McDonald provide
hilarious comic relief—and high flying stage effects (thanks to the ninja
extras and some puppet legs) a la Ang Lee’s CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. Liz
Oakley’s ingenious puppetry enchants throughout the play, as does Christopher
Annas-Lee’s gorgeous, grey, misty mountain range backdrop and craggy walls
which open to reveal The Trick Hearts rock band.
What more could you want? High drama, Low
comedy, Secret Passions, Smashing music and words to live by: MAKE TEA. SIP
SLOW.
