Kevin Morales and Ann Noble (photo courtesy of Ghost Road Company)
Reviewed by V Cate
Ghost Road Company
Thru March 30
Ghost Road Company’s latest production offers a contemporary reimagining of the iconic sorceress Circe of Greek mythology. Presented as a work-in-progress at the Getty Villa last year, this updated version, currently running at Hollywood Row’s Broadwater theater, delves into themes of isolation, homecoming, and the grief that accompanies growing old as a woman.
The narrative centers around Susan (Ann Noble), a classics professor who retreats to a secluded mountaintop after public disgrace. Her isolation is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of a young video gamer named Felix (Kelvin Morales), who returns to the same remote mountain to grieve the death of his mother. Susan does not immediately accept the intrusion of this youthful, masculine energy into her sanctuary. But when a video game adaptation of The Odyssey brings Penelope (Camila Rozo) into Felix’s life, ancient emotions resurface.
Ghost Road Artistic Director Katherine Noon has conceived and directed a heady meditation that tackles a number of concepts but ultimately doesn’t provide much cohesion or resolution. The Unraveling is a devised piece, a model of theater creation that many alums of CalArts (as Noon is) have embraced over the years. The collaborative creative process allows for experimentation and a wide variety of potential artistic elements that might ultimately be incorporated into the finished piece. But for a play with a clear narrative through-line (as this is), the lack of a singular writing voice has rendered many compelling notions amusing but disconnected, unfinished.
Perhaps this piece could be further developed, but there is a lot to appreciate, and to chew on. The design elements are dreamy, with subtle haze mingling with Brandon Baruch’s luscious lighting throughout. David Offner’s set design effectively evokes the chaotic refuge, while leaving ample room for both surreal memories and playful game landscapes. Adriana Lambarri’s costumes are fun, but Susan’s presentation misses the mark; it’s less feral feminine force, more Crabtree & Evelyn.
Susan’s luxurious garb isn’t the only thing to reduce the would-be powerhouse to a mere entitled “Boomer.” We can’t ignore the character’s whiteness as she treats the people of color around her so poorly — stealing, lying, mistreating, poisoning. However, this doesn’t seem like an intentional artistic choice, but an unfortunate side-effect of cumulative creative choices without intersectional insight. Then there’s the scandal that sent Susan into banishment years ago, a carrot leading the audience toward a reveal that winds up being so mundane as to not necessarily seem like a plausible reason for banishment from society.
Since there is plenty of room for extrapolation, perhaps one could surmise that Susan isn’t special at all, neither in her personal power nor in her shame — maybe she’s just been neurodivergent for her whole life, and now she enjoys solitude in a place where she can’t be actively judged for being difficult and unorthodox. A non-resolution between mother and daughter near the end of the play seems to confirm this possibility.
The most evocative moments of the production include the chorus of Christine Breihan, Liz Eldridge, and Raven Pinkston as they bear witness to Susan’s private world. The play opens in montage, Susan sharing journal entries reminiscent of the quarantine-era when many of us found solace in privacy, nature, and sourdough starters, maybe for the first time in our lives. Similarly, Susan grieves, finds humor, and grows into a new version of herself that could never have been if she hadn’t committed to living alone on her own terms. Amid the poetic, relatable journal entries, the chorus scores the simple, primal choreography designed by Christine Breihan and Adam Dlugolecki with haunting song and harmonies composed by Liz Eldridge. Perhaps these three women are the three Fates, who in Greek mythology wove together the strings of destiny on a loom, much like the one Susan owns in her mountain home.
Ultimately, The Unraveling requires more creative connectedness before it can untangle the many themes it deals with (as its title suggests it might), but the femme-focused project does cast a spell of its own.
Ghost Road Company at The Broadwater Mainstage, 1078 Lillian Way, Hlywd. Thurs., Sat. & Mon., 8 pm; Friday 8 p.m. (March 28 only); Sun., 3 pm; thru March 30. ghostroad.org/unraveling25 Running time: 94 minutes, no intermission.
