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Peer Reviews
Dark of the
Moon
By Howard Richardson and William Berney
Directed by Carrie Nath
Reviewed by Keith Waits
Entire contents copyright © 2008, Keith
Waits, all rights reserved.
The story of a witch boy named John who marries
Barbara Allen in order to gain permanent human
form is an old tale, given form most famously in
song and in the play, Dark
of the Moon, written
in 1942.
The fact that Walden Theatre is mounting a new
production of Dark of the
Moon may seem surprising.
In her Director's Notes, Carrie Nath openly acknowledges
that her source material seems a bit musty, but
describes the challenge in stripping down such
an old chestnut of American theatre, and attempting
to reinvigorate it for a contemporary audience.
For the most part, I think she succeeds. The material
is tricky, particularly for a Kentucky audience,
because it skirts uncomfortable clichés
of Appalachian behavior and superstition that have
not found acceptance in recent years. The dialogue
is a particular problem. Because it is written
in an Appalachian dialect, much of it sounds silly,
particularly if overplayed, which unfortunately
does occur in this staging.
But Ms. Nath wisely focuses on the clash of cultures
and the character of the two communities: witch
and humans, and develops the theme of intolerance
into something thoughtful and thought provoking,
as we watch the religious human community mete
out a vicious retribution against John and Barbara
Allen.
The cast generally attacks the material with fierce
energy. This leads to some overplaying among the
supporting roles, but the play is kept on track
by the surefooted Mitchell Martin as John and the
enigmatic Molly Haragan as Barbara Allen. Aaron
Morris, Rina Perlin and Maggie Rogers are standouts
among the large ensemble.
Dark of the Moon
Walden Theatre
1123 Payne Street
Louisville, KY 40204
Phone: (502) 589-0084
Fax: (502) 589-0225
www.waldentheatre.org
February 28 - March 8, 2008
Posted March 4, 2008
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