The lead character in Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre’s latest production probably did not survive a ship wreck, a man-eating octopus and other watery and earthly dangers while exploring the still-unknown world in the 1800s.
But if he says he did, and he tells an entertaining story, do his “alternative facts” really matter?
The comedy “Shipwrecked! An Entertainment” has a pointed subtitle, “The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as Told by Himself).”
The title character tells his fantastical story directly to the audience using florid Victorian language while on a very simple stage. The sets are put in place as the audience watches. The sound effects — clomping coconut shells for horse steps, a waving piece of metal for thunder — are done in plain view.
“We’re not trying to hide that theatre is magical. We’re trying to exploit how theater is magical,” said Laura Ekstrand, Dreamcatcher’s artistic director. “It makes it a lot more fun for the audience.”
The 2009 play, inspired by a true story, was written by Donald Margulies, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for his drama “Dinner With Friends.”
The production runs 90 minutes without an intermission and is suitable for all ages. Three members of the Dreamcatcher ensemble play about 30 different roles, encouraging audience members to use their imaginations and to embrace the tale.
“The actors are switching characters, sometimes every line, and that’s more than just throwing on a new hat. Your whole voice, your whole body, your whole intention has to change on a dime, and that’s not easy,” director Jack Tamburri said. “If we’re doing it well, it looks like we’re just fooling around and having fun but it takes extraordinary skill.”
Working with minimal sets and props requires the director and actors to be creative, Tamburri said. The actors travel the world while never leaving the small stage. There’s a storm, a shipwreck, a beach of pickle jars filled with priceless pearls. One detail that’s repeated is how one character learned to ride giant sea turtles, steering by poking them in the eyes with his toes.
“It’s so strange and so silly and childish in the most wonderful way,” Tamburri said. “This is for people for whom life moves quickly and they don’t have a lot of opportunities to exercise the imagination.
Ekstrand noted another underlying theme is the nature of celebrity.
“It asks about our own culpability in creating celebrities, how hungry we are for people to entertain us, and how willing we are to believe anything,” she said.
Tamburri praised the three actors who “have a willingness to be silly and stupid… They’re exceptionally gifted.”
“There’s a spirit to this play, a spirit of fun, a sort of ‘adults behaving like children’ idea,” Tamburri said. “People have a steady diet of fully-realized spectacle through film and television and have forgotten the pleasure of creating with their own minds. That’s one of the most satisfying things to do in life.”
Shipwrecked! An Entertainment
The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (as Told by Himself)
Dreamcatcher Repertory Theatre
120 Morris Ave., Summit
Tickets:$30-35, available on-line at http://www.dreamcatcherrep.org/tickets. Feb. 17- March 5.
Natalie Pompilio is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She can be reached at nataliepompilio@yahoo.com. Find her on Twitter @nataliepompilio. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
