The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/19934
‘Arabian Nights’ one of the best shows of year Last week, the SUNY Oneonta Theater Department and Mask and Hammer put on a spectacular show with unforgettable produc- tion quality. Mary Zimmerman’s “The Arabian Nights” was one of the best shows of the year, so far, at SUNY Oneonta. Set in ancient Persia, this play is adapted from the book of “One Thousand and One Nights,” and is a concentrated arrangement of stories and life lessons that are presented in rapid succession. Stories of passion, grief, jealousy and madness abound, and with each story the audience is drawn further into the play. Andrew Kahl, assistant professor of theater and the director, said in his notes: “This is not simply a morality tale about right and wrong, it is a perceptive endorsement of the univer- sal experience of being human, flawed and vulnerable.” When the play began, I was transplanted to a foreign land. Music from the East flanked the audience from the aisles as cast members became musicians. I was pleasantly surprised at the proficiency of the instrumentalists _ especially the flute players _ and I looked forward to each musical number. The majority of music was composed exclusively for this production by Julie Licata, assistant professor of music at SUNY Oneonta. The set, designed by Theater Depart- ment Chair Patrice Macaluso, was lavish, with hand-painted patterns and designs in earth tones. There were large Persian-like rugs covering the floor, flowing fabric hung from various parts of the set and beautifully detailed accents in the paint and patterns and the hand-cut Persian palace dome. Costumes blended so well with the set and period, that I was completely mesmerized, and my eyes were never worse for wear over the detail that was put into so many pieces. The only issue I had, albeit minute, was that two of the men’s pants were too loose at the waist and their underwear was visible during the entire performance, which seemed tacky. A high-five for fantastic costumes to Barbara N. Kahl, resident designer at SUNY Oneonta. The ensemble in this production was out- standing. They were charged with tying the stories together and filling in bit parts in each. They stole the spotlight several times. Of note was Andrew Gilchrest, playing the Photos by Scott Schleiff Nov. 18, 2010 O-Town Scene 11 part of Harun al-Rashid’s daughter, with a sheer black garment draped over his face and torso, he had the physical mannerisms of Golem while he moved around the stage like the girl from “The Grudge.” Megan Harrington also had her shining moments not as Dunyazade, but as a member of the dancing ensemble with excitement beaming through her deer-in-the-headlight facial expressions. Many of the actors played their parts on the edge of adolescence, but some attained a level of maturity in their characters. Richard Daly III, as Shahryar and Aziz, was prob- ably the most convincing adult figure in the show; he was dark, menacing and carried his character development consistently from the opening until the final tableau. Alex Schleuderer, most notably as Perfect Love, also carried a consistent and mature character through the show. This character played well off the melodrama of Josh Black (as Mad Man), though I never learned if his character choices came naturally awkward or if they were played that way. It worked in the end. Some of my favorite moments in the show came from the DeRosa brothers, Ricky and Ryan. Ricky DeRosa took immediate control of the audience with Abu al-Hasan and his practiced comedic tone and timing, which were delivered flawlessly. Ryan DeRosa was the focus of a song about Abu al-Hasan’s fart, which he played as a successful farce and milked for all it was worth, dancing around the stage with expressions of immense embarrassment. Another comedic highlight came during the “Story of the Wonderful Bag,” when Black and Colin Larnerd (as the Kurd) argued over the contents of a small bag. Larnerd at one point exclaimed: “Hide your children, hide your wife!” and the audience exploded into riotous laughter over this viral YouTube refer- ence to the Antoine Dodson news interview that was made into the “Bed Intruder Song” video. The story transitions were seamless and the atmosphere was magical. “The Arabian Nights” was a culmination of successes in lighting, costumes, set and sound, and both the cast and production team should be proud of the impressing quality of their production. _ Kyle Beckley