Tara Alexandra Brown and Soda Persi (Photo by Matt Kaminura)
Reviewed by Tej Wong
Theatre Unleashed in Association with Fierce Mama Productions
Through Oct. 10
This review is part of the Stage Raw/Unusual Suspects Youth Journalism Program
Soda Persi (Photo by Matt Kaminura)
“I live the way I need so I can paint the way I want to paint.”
This sentiment of the independent artist struggling to continue functioning as an independent artist is what drives Wendy Gough Soroka’s play Imago. It follows Katherine (Soda Persi), an artist who has spent years painting butterflies, dedicating herself to an artistic vision that has failed to gain mainstream traction or financial success. Katherine is passionate about her work but doesn’t earn enough to keep her perfectly lit studio apartment. Compounding her challenges, her building’s owners are converting her sanctuary into a condo, forcing Katherine to confront the realities of making art for a living.
(Keep in mind that storied tradition of iconic painters, writers and composers not being appreciated or even recognized in their lifetimes, while the value and appreciation of their art shot up after their deaths – starting with Van Gogh and Monet, and working through Thoreau and Emily Dickenson, and even to Johann Sebastian Bach, whose canon was almost forgotten until being rediscovered and revived by composer Felix Mendelssohn almost a century after Bach’s death.)
The theme of creativity vs. commerce explored by Imago is a pervasive and important topic. Katherine’s resistance to making art simply because it will sell places her in opposition to people who see financial success as an important measure of an artist’s career. Portrayed as conflict between Katherine and her haughty ex-lover, David Hawthorn (Chase Green), the play critiques creative ownership and the question of how much of an artist’s personal life inevitably becomes part of their work. David draws inspiration from Katherine’s ideas and successfully commercializes them through his own paintings, prompting the audience to consider how creative copyright affects artists, and whether an idea can truly belong to one person when it is transformed into something new by another.
When Katherine’s estranged mother (Arden Teresa Lewis) is placed into hospice care, her younger, more successful sister (Aarti Mann) encourages Katherine to make a final visit. Despite Lewis’s riveting performance, the writing of the scene, and of the play, fails to live up to its full potential. Like the rest of the show, at almost 2 hours and 30 minutes, nearly every scene revolves around an argument, and the repetition diminishes the impact of the dialogue.
Furthermore, Katherine’s young techie new boyfriend, Paul (Rob Shiells), and spunky art dealer and friend Shanelle (Tara Alexandra Brown) provide Katherine with support throughout the play. While both characters bring energy to the production, neither is given much depth beyond their relationship to Katherine. Their roles largely revolve around supporting or challenging her, leaving little opportunity for their own identities to develop.
As for the set and technical aspects of the show, the incorporation of an art talk show is particularly clever, giving the audience more substance on which to base Katherine and David’s relationship while providing insight into their contrasting approaches to art. Director Richard Piatt’s set also reflects the play’s larger theme of metamorphosis, swiftly transforming between Katherine’s scattered apartment, a hospice room, and an art gallery. These transitions mirror the constant changes occurring in Katherine’s life while reinforcing the butterfly imagery at the center of the play.
Theatre Unleashed, in association with Fierce Mama Productions. The Hobgoblin Playhouse, 1516 North Gardner St., Hollywood; Thurs.-Sat., 7:30 pm; thru Oct. 10. https://events.thestagecrafts.com/projects/15261?tab=detailsRun time: Two hours and 30 minutes, including intermission
