Under the Moon @ Ochre House Theater
—Martha Heimberg
It’s not easy to marry the moon. Sheer lunacy, right?
But that’s the task the aging wizard has set for himself in Under the Moon, the last of a series of one-act plays completing Ochre House Theater’s “In The Garden” series, four works written by company members. All take place in the fine and flexible garden at the back of the ochre-colored building a block from Fair Park, where everything depends on everything else. That old familiar metaphor keeps on working, no matter how big we build our cities.
Artistic Director Mathew Posey is the playwright, director, lyricist and set designer for the show. He is also a wizard (“The Lazarus”) who recognizes that “my magic is faltering.” So, it’s no surprise that this towering, grey-bearded man in a grand robe (with a hat made from the front end of a French horn) literally presents Posey in his element. How totally fantastic is that?
His wizard is a mashup of brilliant Prospero, tricky Oz, and all the magicians who ever enthralled us—with a dash of Don Quixote’s whimsy thrown in, because that’s Posey, too.
This wizard’s garden is getting crowded. He’s turned a cuckoo he rescued from the jaws of a wolf into the shiny, resentful servant “Null Nath Ani” (portrayed by queer performance artist Kenneth Mechler), who longs to be a bird again. His other companion is a former angel who wanted to know what being human would feel like. The wizard clipped her wings to pink nubbins, and turned her into a cello. (Real-life cellist and composer Sarah Rogerson plays the part of “Ednocah.”) Be careful what you wish for!
The huge moon at the back of the set is a major performer. Kevin Grammer built it; scenic artist Izk Davies’ painted it; and Justin Locklear recorded and edited the video of the very human face of the blue moon, reflecting moods from boredom to dismay.
Our wizard opens the show by removing his hat and revolving it slowly about his body, like the moon catching the reflection of the sun, while the captive angel accompanies on cello. This peace is broken by the entrance of the cuckoo; swooping, noisy Mechler wears a cereal box bird-head and pretends to be the winged creature he once was.
Poor old wizard is losing it. “The trouble with doing magic in old age is you sometimes forget what you’re looking at.” He burns his fingers on the candles, talks to his pain like a familiar, and drops his scrolls all over the place. “Ah, the longer you live, the shorter the days,” he moans. Wizard tries to “weird” a bowl he’s stirring to assess the mood of the moon. No luck. Giving that up, he declares that his last act of magic will be to woo the moon into marriage.
Then all magic and hilarity break loose. Tricky Cuckoo reads a Conjurer’s Book of Spells to help the wizard take the steps required to attract the moon. One unforgettable image is the transformation of the wizard into a giant Luna moth hovering about a plant in the garden, until it bursts into a huge white flower (Justin Locklear’s work).
In the wooing process, Posey’s moth dances with Mechler’s moon (in a round illuminated costume by inventive designer Samantha Rodriguez Corgan). Both are graceful, ridiculous, and utterly winning. Don Quixote would applaud, and so will you.
I can’t reveal all the magical tricks. I will say that Rogerson’s score, and particularly a sweet ballad she sings to her own accompaniment, is…well… angelic.
How can all these charming, quirky scenes and more be brought together in under an hour? Magic Posey Script and Scroll Glue. Go see Under the Moon for yourself.
WHEN: Through June 4
WHERE: Ochre House Theater, Dallas
