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The Life of the Night

Reviewed by Lovell Estell III

Others Theater Company/Son of Semele Theater

Through Jan. 25

Great novels or material drawn from them don’t always make for compelling drama. Such is the case here with the Others Theater Company’s partial adaptation of Djuna Barne’s groundbreaking feminist/lesbian work Nightwood,  that was effusively praised by T. S. Elliot.

This play is part of the Company Creation Festival 2015.  Robin Vote (nicely portrayed by Madison Shepard) is a bon-vivant lesbian who captures the heart of Nora Flood (Jessica DeBruin) — so much so that Nora develops an unhealthy, debilitating obsession with her. In a scene lifted from the middle of the book, we first see the heartbroken, depressed Nora visiting queer friend Dr. Matthew O’Connor (Christophe Aguilar), seeking some consolation. The subsequent dialogue between them is dense and displays much of the rich, ornate prose style and psychological symbolism that Barnes was noted for, and it explores issues of sexuality and identity. Unfortunately for Nora, Robin is like the proverbial siren with her lovers, and she soon takes up with the wealthy divorcee Jenny Petherbridge (Amanda Newman), which leads to a tragic breakup with Nora.

The characters in this short piece reveal enough about themselves to elicit interest, but a more expansive contextual framework would have imparted more heft to the piece and made the ending more satisfying, despite the good performances under Kate Motzenbacker’s direction.  

Others Theater Company at Son of Semele Theater, 3301 Beverly Blvd., Westlake; Sat., Jan 24, 8 p.m.; Sun, Jan. 25, 5 p.m., https://www.sonofsemele.org