The Changeling

The Changeling

Red Bull Theater

Lucille Lortel Theatre

December 31, 2015

Photo courtesy of Red Bull Theater

The Changeling, the Renaissance tragedy set in Spain, is remounted by Red Bull Theatre and presently playing in the West Village at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.  Jesse Berger boldly directed this dark and graphic tale of love and murder.  If you enjoy well done, classic theatre set in the time period in which it was written, this production is for you.  The characters are all genuinely driven by their desire and swallowed up by the fate they initiate for themselves.

Sara Topham & Christian Coulson
Photo by Carol Rosegg
Courtesy of Red Bull Theater

When Beatrice-Joanna (played by Sara Topham) meets the noble Alsemero (played by Christian Coulson), they fall immediately in love.  She is so overtaken that she plots with her father’s servant, DeFlores (played by Manoel Felciano), to murder Alonzo (played by John Skelley), to whom her father has previously betrothed her.  Unbeknownst to Beatrice-Joanna, DeFlores sees this as an opportunity to bond himself to her and demand what his heart desires, her maidenhood and loyalty. 

Christopher McCann &Andrew Weems
Photo by Carol Rosegg
Courtesy of Red Bull Theater

The subplot of the play takes place in “a madhouse resembling Bedlam, or Bethlehem Hospital, the famous London institution for the incarceration and ‘cure’ of madmen and fools.”*  This setting adds disorder, chaos, and comic relief to the darkness of the main plot, while deepening the level of intrigue and lunacy.  Actors Bill Army, Phillipe Bowgen, Christopher McCann, Michelle Beck, and Andrew Weems realistically create this locale and level of mayhem.

The entire cast is superb.  Each character is clearly developed with a strong sense of setting and time period.  They all deliver the classic language, which is Red Bull’s specialty, with natural comfort and expertise.  The set, costumes, and lighting (by Marion Williams, Beth Goldenberg, and Peter West) create an authentic atmosphere.  Choreography, by Tracy Bersley, in the opening of the first and second act clearly and skillfully sets up the action and pace for what follows.

Photo by Carol Rosegg
Courtesy of red Bull Theater

This is my first experience with Red Bull Theater.  They are “dedicated to the presentation  of vital and imaginative productions of heightened language plays and to the development of new plays written in a similar vein.  With the Jacobean plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries as its cornerstone, Red Bull Theatre engages the intellect and imagination of today’s theatergoers through intimate and evocative staging of great classic stories.”*  If The Changeling is an example of the quality of their work, I look forward to seeing future productions.  It runs at the Lucille Lortel Theatre through January 24.  Check it out!

Domenick Danza

*These quotes come directly from Red Bull Theater’s program for The Changeling.