Play Review: Metamorphoses by Mary Zimmerman - Essay Example

Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses is a play that retells Ovid’s poem. There is the use of ancient Greek mythology in the description of the events that occur in the vignettes. The writer presents various characters inspired by this mythology. For instance, there is the use of Gods such as Hermes Americo Lanni and Poseidon. Benjamin Hill took the characters of Zeus and Bacchus while Brandon Gailliard acted as Hades and Midas. Catherine Poirier took the role, Aphrodite. While bringing the legendary Roman poet’s tales to visual life, Zimmerman’s product did not follow a standard arrangement and lacked a linear point of view.

A play with a linear dramatic action comes with various steps such as 1 – A situation of balance, 2 – An inciting occurrence up to 7 – New state of equilibrium. It is important to note that these steps cannot be demonstrated in this storyline, regardless of the analysis made. Nevertheless, the different stories here are presented such that the play is comparable to a “well-prepared play” within a play. If you look at each story independently, you can analyze it using the seven steps mentioned above.

For instance, you can easily demonstrate this structure in one of the stories in Metamorphoses, such as Erysichthon. Although reading Ovid’s Metamorphoses was quite interesting, the played version allowed me to see how Zimmerman portrayed it on stage. It is not a secret that the stage set made watching it better than reading the story. One of the reasons I wanted to watch this drama so badly was how the description of staging and directions read. However, after watching this play, I was able to notice important differences between what I saw in the theatre and the original story.

Despite this played version not being very different from the original story, the setting was somehow different. For instance, this Zimmerman story was not set in water like the original version. However, it was understandable. It would have required the theatre to have a large pool of water. Nevertheless, you will enjoy the way the producer makes the mythic manageable. The design was not that bad, and the lighting was not perfect in this play. It was especially true for the lightning strike.

Surely, I was dismayed as I expected the lightning fixture to come in a lightning bolt shape. Nevertheless, the lighting was able to show changes in different scenes. In terms of design, I was not impressed much. The case was even worse when changing between scenes. Although the light was turned on and off during these changes, I couldn’t see any difference in the actors, although I knew they were there. Another thing I noticed with the design is that the producer also struggled with the costume.

But these challenges could be explained by the many years between the writing of the play and acting. However, I liked the way they dressed because it allowed me to visualize what I had just read even better. The sets were authentic. Yet, as the play began, I could see other layers underneath the basic white sheets that they wore. But it was expected as it would reduce the time taken to change costumes during the drama. The other thing that I didn’t enjoy the design of this play was the sound.

Sometimes, the actors were louder than the special effect sounds. It is something that one could not notice sometimes. Nevertheless, it was not a major issue for me since I was strategically seated near the main stage, and the changes didn’t have much impact. Overall, I enjoyed the way Zimmerman retold Ovid’s stories very clearly in this play. Although this was not my first time to attend a theatre performance, I was impressed by the director’s ability to re-image some of the tales.

If I heard that Zimmerman was bringing the same drama again, I would sit on the front row not to miss anything.