GALLATHEA (Red Bull Theater)****

 

By Cal

Link: https://www.redbulltheater.com/gallathea 

Available until: Friday March 19^th 11.30pm GMT, 7.30pm EST

John Lyly’s Gallathea could have been a farce and it probably could be played as a farce. Two girls, Gallathea and Phillida, are forced by their fathers to disguise themselves as boys. Gallathea and Phillida meet and fall in love, each thinking the other is a boy. (And in the original production, which was performed for Elizabeth I, they really were boys – all the characters were played by men.)

But in Emma Rosa Went’s production, it doesn’t feel like a farce. There is humour in the production, but the love between Gallathea and Phillida is played as genuine and true, which is much more satisfying to watch, but it puts them into a very difficult situation. It’s fair to say this play isn’t exactly lacking in homophobia.

Homophobia is never good, but there are times when you’ve got to push it aside and enjoy whatever you’re reading and watching. Why dislike a good play on principle just because you don’t agree with some of their beliefs? In 2021, I hate to see homophobia, transphobia, racism, elitism, disability prejudice, mental health prejudice or anything similar in real life. But there are a lot of great plays that examine these subjects, including many very good plays which were written before humans started to work out just how equal we really are. It seems a shame not to enjoy those plays. There’s a lot to enjoy in Gallathea.

(And while we’re on the subject of transphobia, this play does also address transgenderism and what it has to say is very interesting.)

Red Bull Theater have found some more beautiful backgrounds for this production. The characters spend most of their time in the forest, but there is also a sea scene. The images really do add so much to these productions. I also continue to appreciate the control they have over where each character appears on the screen. It means I have more mental energy for enjoying the play and the fact it might not be possible for every company to do this means I appreciate it all the more when it happens.

Gallathea and Phillida are both ladies and they’re in exactly the same situation, but they’re clearly different in terms of personality. Olivia Rose Baressi’s Gallathea seems more grounded and more realistic, but not afraid to say when she isn’t happy. As Phillida, Layla Khoshnnoudi has less emotional control and actually gets quite stroppy when she first hears about dressing up as a man. They might not be ‘opposite’ sexes, but they’re opposites in terms of personality and this makes their scenes even more interesting. Even when they’re having the same thoughts, they’re delivered in different ways.

Jason O’Connell and Yonatan Gebeyehu are both excellent as their determined and controlling fathers, Tityrus and Melibeus, but I actually loved them even more in the other roles they played. Jason is wonderfully eccentric as the Alchemist and Yonatan’s Astronomer is hilarious. They are characters who could have been easily forgotten with so many other plots to worry about, but their characterisations are so much fun. All the little details with costumes and plot are perfect.

I do have a fair amount of sympathy for Nathaniel P. Claridad’s sweet, eager Rafe. In any other play, he would have ended up with Gallathea or Phillida and no doubt lived happily ever after, but in this play, he doesn’t have a chance with them, though he does have some very amusing friends. Amy Jo Jackson and Rami Margron excel at rough-edged men, glamorous ladies, and quick costume changes. Christopher Michael McFarland is also great in two contrasting roles: the humorous Mariner and monstrous Augar.

David Ryan Smith’s Neptune is not exactly likeable considering what he wants everyone to do, but it’s a powerful and overbearing performance as someone you would probably be well-advised to take seriously. Aneeth Sheth’s Diana is also on the controlling side, though she is rather more classy about it. It’s quite a relief to meet Helen Cespedes’ warm, generous Venus, who shows that the Gods aren’t all bad. Zo Tipp is adorable as a Cupid who rarely stops smiling – a big contrast with her performance as scheming Peter.

It’s another great performance from Red Bull Theater and next week they’ll do it all again… almost. Next week is Galatea by M. J. Kaufman, which seems to be a more modern retelling of Lyly’s play. I’m looking forward to it!