<< Previous   of   Next >>

ADVERTISEMENT

Coming up: ‘Seussical, Jr’

• On stage: The Driftwood Players host this special presentation of the fantastical, musical extravaganza celebrating the works of Dr. Seuss, at the Wade James Theatre, 950 Main St., Edmonds. • Performances: 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 10, 2 p.m. Sunday, July 12. • Tickets: $20 general (tickets are not part of Driftwood’s regular season), available by calling 425-774-9600 or www.driftwoodplayers.com.

CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE Jocelyn Robinson, News editor jrobinson@heraldnet.com

'Love is a Divine Accident' enlightens

Alternative Stages finds balance in adaptation of Chekov, Anderson

By Dale Burrows
For The Enterprise

It was literate, stimulating and brief.

No more than a smattering showed at the Wade James last Sunday afternoon. But those there were all eyes and ears, me included. Talk about a Sunday punch. This was 30 minutes of pure impact.

"Love is a Divine Accident" was the title of this adaptation for stage by Carissa Meisner Smit. Chekhov's "A Little Joke" and Sherwood Anderson's "Sophistication" constituted the source material.

Be aware, here is a Russian and an American writing in the 19th century about young love when it buds for the first time; their purpose, to distill that moment in less than 2,000 words. Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel did the impossible. These guys' short stories followed suit.

Credit director Paul Taylor for engineering the move from paper to stage. With three actors, a violinist and half an hour, Taylor cuddled two separate spheres of sensitivity: Chekhov's swarm of emotion (Marian Fell's Russian translation) and Anderson's farewell to small-town life on the eve of our Industrial Revolution. That is a lot to do with a precious little in a short time. Nice going, Taylor.

Whether a young Russian girl confused by feelings for a young man while sledding down a snowy hill or a small-town gal with a small-town sweetheart being hit on by her sophisticated university professor, it doesn't matter. Wendy Enden shined. Enden's got that ingénue's sparkle that can't miss.

Jad Kassouf's East European accent could have turned comic articulating subtleties in English but instead enhanced it. Paired with Enden, Kassouf's male half of storybook romance scored manliness in the making with gentleness and understanding; in effect, a poetic performance.

Does anyone hear violins when the subject is young lovers? If so, one could be Caleb Tizon's. This guy's got the touch. You felt it when Tizon interpreted important moments.

This was cosmopolitan theater, seeking as much to enlighten as entertain. The title is the give away. "Love is a Divine Accident" is an oxymoron. So, the production asks, is it or is it not? Are you an intellectual or a romantic? Skeptic or optimist?

Also, this was another in the continuing series of Alternative Stages productions made possible by the Driftwood Players. The series is making a name for itself showcasing local talent performing Fringe Theater. "Minnesota Moon," an AS production earlier this year, took top honors in state competitions and performed in a national competition this past weekend at the Pantages in Tacoma. How's that for going some?

Reactions? Comments? E-mail Dale Burrows at entfeatures@heraldnet.com or grayghost7@comcast.net.