Theater department brings Big Love to CSUSm
Chris Shaw
Issue date: 4/21/09 Section: Faces & Places
The CSUSM Theatre Department brought "Big Love" to our campus with a spark of dramatic flare and infectious enthusiasm last week with performances from April 15-19. As an audience spectator, I had no choice but to give some big love to all of the performers.
Don't be fooled by the play's title. Big Love does not succumb to clichéd varieties of romantic bliss and the Disney version of everlasting courtship. Directed by Marcos Martinez and produced by Charles Mee, "Big Love" delves deeper into understanding the real nature of love.
The dialogue ranges with dramatic irony, as the female and male characters unveil the hardships we all face in gender roles. The play begins with a sensual bathtub scene and fifty brides arriving in Italy as they have fled from their assigned marriages in Greece.
The performer's versatile abilities portray the complexity of each character. Jason Gonzales (Giuliano), Cole Tran (Leo), Claudina E. Evans and Tiffany-Raven Peters (Eleanor), and Jessica Swan (Bella), shed moments of laugh-out-loud humor and inner giggles. The audience will surely not forget performances by the three leading ladies played by Kristine Fernandez and Patricia Bowen (Olympia), Krista Potocny and Jessica Ruiz-Bustos (Lydia), and Yolanda Catano (Thyona). The brides and the three grooms played by Jesus Moreno and Drew Quizon (Nikos), Mucio Vidales (Constantine), and David Edwards (Oed) showed excellent stamina as they pounded their fists in tantrums, rolled on the floor in emotional agony, and combined yelling with moments of passionate subtlety.
To set the tone for the evening, the audience is greeted by two women in bright white bride dresses as an usher with black rings around his eyes will open the door for you to the Arts 111 auditorium. You may have even seen these flaying brides run around the International Fair this past Thursday.
As I arranged myself to sit in the middle row, the enchanting and classic wedding music set the tone for a memorable on-campus experience. The eerie mood will creep into your mind, a mood not only set by the plot, but also by the performances of everybody on stage. The stage, with flowing background images of Italy's countryside, remains simple with a bathtub and cylindrical bars.
The simple stage allows the performers to make drastic body movements and choreographed ballroom dance scenes.
The most impressive aspect of the performance shined through in the delivery of personal speeches in which the performer talks up-front to the audience. These personal speeches combine sweeping philosophical statements with very human perspectives on love. A refreshing emphasis of character-to-audience dialogue can be seen in this "Big Love" quote, "For the sake of healing, for life to go on, there will be no justice." For the sake of appreciating great theater, I clap loudly and smile on my home down the Chavez stairs.
Don't be fooled by the play's title. Big Love does not succumb to clichéd varieties of romantic bliss and the Disney version of everlasting courtship. Directed by Marcos Martinez and produced by Charles Mee, "Big Love" delves deeper into understanding the real nature of love.
The dialogue ranges with dramatic irony, as the female and male characters unveil the hardships we all face in gender roles. The play begins with a sensual bathtub scene and fifty brides arriving in Italy as they have fled from their assigned marriages in Greece.
The performer's versatile abilities portray the complexity of each character. Jason Gonzales (Giuliano), Cole Tran (Leo), Claudina E. Evans and Tiffany-Raven Peters (Eleanor), and Jessica Swan (Bella), shed moments of laugh-out-loud humor and inner giggles. The audience will surely not forget performances by the three leading ladies played by Kristine Fernandez and Patricia Bowen (Olympia), Krista Potocny and Jessica Ruiz-Bustos (Lydia), and Yolanda Catano (Thyona). The brides and the three grooms played by Jesus Moreno and Drew Quizon (Nikos), Mucio Vidales (Constantine), and David Edwards (Oed) showed excellent stamina as they pounded their fists in tantrums, rolled on the floor in emotional agony, and combined yelling with moments of passionate subtlety.
To set the tone for the evening, the audience is greeted by two women in bright white bride dresses as an usher with black rings around his eyes will open the door for you to the Arts 111 auditorium. You may have even seen these flaying brides run around the International Fair this past Thursday.
As I arranged myself to sit in the middle row, the enchanting and classic wedding music set the tone for a memorable on-campus experience. The eerie mood will creep into your mind, a mood not only set by the plot, but also by the performances of everybody on stage. The stage, with flowing background images of Italy's countryside, remains simple with a bathtub and cylindrical bars.
The simple stage allows the performers to make drastic body movements and choreographed ballroom dance scenes.
The most impressive aspect of the performance shined through in the delivery of personal speeches in which the performer talks up-front to the audience. These personal speeches combine sweeping philosophical statements with very human perspectives on love. A refreshing emphasis of character-to-audience dialogue can be seen in this "Big Love" quote, "For the sake of healing, for life to go on, there will be no justice." For the sake of appreciating great theater, I clap loudly and smile on my home down the Chavez stairs.
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Krista Potocny
posted 5/09/09 @ 9:23 PM PST
Thanks Chris! What a wonderful review! We're glad you enjoyed it :)
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