“ON THE WALL WAS CHALKED:
They want war.
The man who wrote it
Has already fallen.
THOSE AT THE TOP SAY:
This way to glory.
Those down below say:
This way to the grave.
THE WAR WHICH IS COMING
Is not the first one. There were
Other wars before it.
When the last one came to an end
There were conquerors and conquered.
Among the conquered the common people
Starved. Among the conquerors
The common people starved too.”
With the rise of totalitarianism in the world; Erich Maria
Remarque's 1928 renowned anti-war novel All Quiet on the Western Front, motivates
Matt Foss, playwright and director, to reintroduce the
notion of brutality of war in order to challenge the audience to rethink what would
lead inexperienced youth to enlist into a new world war. The book was banned and
burned in Germany during the rise of the Nazi Party. Now, we are witnessing new
signs of nationalistic censorship growing in different societies.
Having lived through an eight-year war; assisting wounded
soldiers and villagers in a war zone where an uncalculated/accidental movement could
be a matter of life and death; the play evoked dark memories that war is nothing
but destruction and death. Despite the play’s demonstration that war causes permanent
physical and mental trauma, increases vulnerability to terror and savagery in
all forms; it deepens your understanding of politics, increases your empathy
and strengthens your ability to see through how the warmongers behind the scenes create
and precipitate wars.
Matt Foss’s adaptation is superbly theatrical with cinematic
elements under his brilliant directing. With a collaboration between Red Tape Theatre and Greenhouse Theatre
Center, the performance is a polished work of art in all its different elements. The stage is
spacious with elegant symmetrical lights, the beautiful, uncluttered setting of
wires upstage and several pianos which were used brilliantly as scenes
shifted in synchronization with the sound of explosions, bombs, and combats. Those were also used simply to break the total
silence…or to emit a painful moan during knife strikes…Each scene dissolves and
transforms into another scene smoothly and uninterruptedly.
The play starts with the mixture of narration and performance, physical
actions, choreography, movements, atmospheric images, in harmony with artistic use
of music, hymns, rapid change of lights, sound effects, voice overs and
effective silences with tic tocs marking time. All these theatrical elements worked
well with some experimentation of German cabaret style and modern music and
dance as a vital form of entertainment.
The intimate collaboration between director, actors, set designer,
sound designer and composer, light designer, costume designer and choreographer,
give the impression that the outcome of the process was the clear result of a
skilled directing, techniques, discipline, cooperation, pure love, and hard
work. The choice of multi-racial and gender ensemble gives the actors comfort
and confidence to be completely connected, cooperative and present on the stage.
All the actors, equally, put their
heart into their multi roles and performed magnificently. Elena Victoria Feliz
as Paul, the narrator, was pensive, meditative and poetic. One of the
unforgettable scenes was when Paul was granted leave to go back home to see his
mother. The train, the sharp light as the sun, the encounter with his mother
and sister, and the bar scene where his alienation with the absurdity of war was
exceeded by the patriotic absurdity of the townspeople. This scene is one of the
greatest scenes in this play.
All Quiet on the Western Front is highly
recommended.
photos by Austin Oie
OPENING AUGUST 16th and running through SEPTEMBER
14th.
Fridays at 7:30
Saturdays at 7:30
Sundays at 2:30
Mondays (Industry Night) at 7:30
Cast & Creative Team
Cast: Charlotte Mae Ellison, Caitlin Ewald,
Elena Victoria Feliz, Ian Maryfield, Colin Morgan, Alec
Phan, Collin Quinn Rice, Laila Rodrigues, Brenda Scott Wlazlo*, Bianca Canigila
(US), Austin Rambo (US)
Writer/Director: Matt Foss
Artistic Director: Max Truax*
Assistant Director: Kate Staiger
Producer: Ambrose Cappuccio*
Stage Manager: Emily Melgard
Assistant Stage Manager: Dan Poppen
Props Designer: Matt Foss
Casting Director: Catherine Miller
Sound Design and Composer: Dan Poppen
Costume Designer: Rachel Sypniewski
Lighting Design: Stephen Sakowski
Movement and Choreography: Leah Urzendowski
Scenic Design: Nick Schwartz*
Teaser Poster Design: CM Dugan
Marketing Director: Casey Chapman*
Associate Marketing Manager & Webmaster: Joseph Ramski*
