Original review
LIFE’S A DREAM

Running time: 2 hours and 25 minutes, including two intermissions (during which additional scenes are performed), plus an additional half-hour preshow that begins at 7:30 each evening the play is performed

While much of the rest of the country has only an extended race for the Democratic Presidential nomination as a diversion from war and tragedy in the rest of the world (and since we’re on the subject, could John Edwards have used the word "man" any more often in his speech endorsing Barak Obama?), theater-going folks in our region have the chance to see an adventurous production of Pedro Calderon’s LIFE’S A DREAM.

The Prenzie Players – in their first non-Shakespeare production – have mounted a bold show that combines rare material and unconventional staging with the typical Prenzie oeuvre, which includes a scholarly, language-focused (and overtly physical) approach to a script. Director J.C. Luxton (aided by Dee Canfield and "the cast," who serve as assistant directors) has created a show unlike any other.

As the program warns, LIFE’S A DREAM "contains Audience Migration, Cannonfire, Gunshots, Nudity, and Strong Language, including Metaphor & Iambic Tetrameter," and this description is exactly on the money. Of course, there is so much more to be found here, and full appreciation of the show required actually attending one of the remaining performances.

Which, unless you are among the faint-hearted, I highly recommend that you do.

An antique tale about a misguided king who attempts to thwart the fate he has read of in the stars, LIFE’S A DREAM centers on questions of free will, the allure of great power, and the nature of true leadership. Vasily, the learned King of Poland (an absolutely excellent Tracy Skaggs), has imprisoned his son in a tower from birth, believing that prophecies have said the prince would overthrow the king with violence.

Strangely (unless you consider just how necessary this conceit is for the plot), the king sent his chamberlain along to educate the prince, so, though never been unchained or allowed out of the tower, he has a commanding grasp on nature and physics and religion and language and the classics. When the king decides to drug the prince and bring him to the palace temporarily to see how he does on the throne, a series of violent events is set into motion, convincing the king that there is no escape from the dictates of fate.

While I might have preferred a somewhat different outcome for the story, I can’t really complain about this production, which has all the hallmarks of Prenzie excellence. Luxton and company have infused the work with an intensity and thoughtful passion that are almost intoxicating. There are elements that step outside the usual, including the aforementioned "audience migration," which works quite well. During the performance, audience members function as both tower guards and court nobles, and (rather than set changes to indicate the story’s move from one place to another) we also move from one locale to another. While less skilled hands would have made these moves cumbersome, in this production the device proves quite organic, proving no distraction at all.

Several excellent performances also make this one heck of a show.

Skaggs, as I’ve already mentioned, is superb in this big role, lending an impressively regal portrayal the necessary emotional authenticity it requires. Though he is significantly younger than the character, his piercing eyes and measured tones give Vasily a grand gravitas nonetheless. Probably the biggest – and definitely the most important – role I’ve ever seen Skaggs undertake, this performance establishes his capacity to deliver big when he gets the chance. It’s understated work that is nearly stunning in its rich simplicity.

Eddie Staver III also succeeds as Sigismund, the prince whose cruel upbringing has very nearly destroyed his soul. In an opening scene, he maximizes the eloquence of the gorgeous lines he has to deliver, managing to wax deeply poetic while crouched – naked and chained – on the floor. He lends Sigismund the raw, guttural, animalistic intensity you would hope any performer would bring to the role, yet Staver also lets us see the flicker of often-cruel humanity throughout the performance. He never once seems to be overplaying even a single line, yet the impassioned veracity he sustains throughout is truly amazing.

The remaining cast performances are almost always quite good, too.

I especially enjoyed the comic relief of Jeff De Leon, whose turn as Bugle reminds me of the very Shakespearean entertainment that great servant roles can provide. Jeremy Mahr makes a grand, flawed Chamberlain Clothold, and Andy Koski’s dapper and ambitious Duke Aistulf is finely done. Maggie Woolley’s turn as Rossaura is the kind of fiery, bosom-heaving love interest that she could doubtless play in her sleep, but she still gives it every ounce of intensity.

Lighting designer Jennifer Kingry has also done outstanding work, especially with the deep shadows of the tower prison. I especially was impressed at how she lit the space, leaving the faces of the audience (as additional guards) in darkness – mirroring the actual guards, who wear face masks to shield their identity and individual expression. The sound design by Terry Skaggs and blue :: infinite is also a winner.

Altogether an excellent show, LIFE’S A DREAM may never provide easy answers or satisfying resolution, but it is fine entertainment like nothing else you will see this year. Don't miss the chance to see this soaringly successful show.

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