Volume 3, Issue 19
September 13 - September 26, 2001

Acting Up

Cilicia Yakhlef

CROWNING A KING
@
RASHOMON

King Performing Arts Center
303-556-2296
Through Sep. 15

There's another PAC in town. Rashomon plays at the new Kenneth King Academic and Performing Arts Center through September 15. The play is an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's classic film by the same name. The King Center resides at the center of Auraria Campus, and is shared by the Metro State College, Community College of Denver, and University of Colorado at Denver arts and theater programs. The Courtyard Theater is a state-of-the-art theatre with a transformable stage that allows the space to function as anything from theatre in the round to proscenium. For Rashomon, the thrust stage was set at multiple levels, which not only simulated the internal terrain of the play, but which also acted as a physical barrier between the narrators who frame the action, and those set in motion to act out the story.

Aside from being an intensely well choreographed story, Rashomon also makes more than a few social statements, magnifying the idealism of organized religion, the subjugation of women, the uneven hand of justice, and the contortionism practiced by the individual human psyche. Rashomon is a wonderfully scripted play that makes more of a statement with the words that are missing from the dialogue than it does with those voiced on stage. The piece sets up archetypal versions of the warrior, the innocent and the thief, then deconstructs the characters by moving inside the frail minds of the real people who lay at the root of the archetypes.

The play is produced by CCD's theater department, and directed by Edward Osborn, who was integral to the development and early success of the Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities. Osborn is joined by a student design team that presents a mostly cohesive environment with lots of bells and whistles. There are altogether 12 design specialists and technical staff members, and the quality of the production reflects the large effort going on behind the scenes of this play.

Costuming, by Heidi Peterson, was so erratic it seemed as if the designs were handled by two costumiers of two very different minds. For the most part, the costumes were inspired and artistic, reflecting both the sparseness and complexity inherent in the work. Continuity was lacking however, and the painted body suit (presumably evoking a bare torso with tattoos) worn by the Bandit, along with a garish costume on the Medium that seemed to be ethnically incompatible with the Japanese setting, were glaring standouts that detracted from the aesthetic wisdom displayed by the rest of the costumes.

Although some of the acting was spotty, solid performances were given by several of the actors. Guy Williams brings to light the effectiveness of carefully calculated facial expression in as much as it relates to acting. Williams plays the Husband, a samurai who lets his sword and his demeanor speak for him. In this role, Williams' skill and experience as a professional mime make his the standout performance of the play. Other actors of note are Rick Bivens, who is both energetic and sincere in portraying the Bandit, and John O'Leary, who has fun, relaxing into the role of the Wigmaker, and Irish Butler, who subtly dons all the different faces worn by women of all nations in her portrayal of the Wife.

Also of note is the technical acumen of David Stallings, the scenic designer responsible for video and animation. Stallings brings a wonderfully framed ghost segment into existence via projected medium. His film technique and execution really adds another dimension to the stage, and although these segments can often go awry, this one works very well, adding to, rather than distracting from the central action.

The Center itself is awesome. The immediate environment of the Eugenia Rawls Courtyard Theater aesthetically beats anything you're likely to see elsewhere, while still maintaining an intimate small theater environment. The King Center, which houses the theater, is equally impressive. Paintings and other art contributions are suspended from endless expanses of ceiling. Some of the work is mechanized, some is strange, most is experimental, and all of it is worthy of exhibition. The King center also houses a concert hall and a recital hall, so be sure to be on the lookout for any opportunity to visit the space. B