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Regional Reviews: Albuquerque/Santa Fe Anna Christie Also see Peyton's review of True West and Carla's review of Death by Design
James Cady is something of an Albuquerque theatre institution. After studying theatre at University of California, Berkeley, UCLA, and the Pasadena Playhouse, he had a multi-faceted, thirty-year career in Hollywood as a producer and director. Retiring to Albuquerque 10+ years ago, he returned to his first loves of acting and directing. Eugene O'Neill has been a keen interest of his for many years. Anna Christie marks the third O'Neill play Cady has directed. Eugene O'Neill may be the grandfather of the modern American theatre. A multiple Pulitzer Prize winner and the only playwright to win the coveted Nobel Prize, his plays stand as great tragedies (mostly) in any listing. He led American theatre toward serious dramas that explored powerful emotions and complicated family dynamics. He paved the way for more serious plays on Broadway and throughout the legitimate theatre. Anna Christie premiered on Broadway in 1921, just after O'Neill's first Broadway play, Beyond the Horizon. Anna Christie explores the theme of a "fallen woman with a heart of gold" who finds redemptive love and happiness. It is the only O'Neill play with a happy ending. Director Cady has assembled an outstanding group of theatrical professionals to bring this play to the stage. The Vortex Theatre continues its commitment to inclusion by double casting the play. This reviewer saw Cast Two on the second opening night. Anna Christie, like many plays of this era, traditionally has a running time of nearly four hours with two intermissions, but this production has a running time of one and a half hours with one intermission. The play has been expertly cut and edited for today's audiences by James Cady and dramaturg David Richard Jones. A bit of the lyrical language of the sea and loneliness may have been sacrificed for brevity and clarity. I wanted more soaring poetry at the very end, but overall, this adaptation is remarkably successful. On entering the theatre, one experiences the set and most of the house in a light fog with subdued lighting. We are at the shore, in a bar. The muted sounds of seabirds and fog horns further set the scene. Inside the bar is raw wood with some basic wood tables and chairs. There is no decor. This is a basic, utilitarian set that works well for the actors. The set shifts to a coal barge with a swift rotation and rope and pylon set pieces. There is no superfluous moving of set pieces or handling of unneeded props The costumes are similarly simple, and all are appropriate for the characters and the actors. Anna enters in a red coat that signals so much throughout the production. Chris, her estranged father in his seaman's hat is grizzled. Mat, Anna's love interest, is rescued nearly half naked wearing only simple pants and a crucifix around his neck. Matthew Van Wettering, the actor playing this role, fortunately has the physique to make this bold costume choice work. Marty Owen, played by Stephanie Jones, is the ideal barfly with a hat and a bit of disheveled finery. The overall palette for the show is muted except for Anna's bright red coat. This is a lean and clean physical production where appropriate, and accurate choices have been made. Kudos go to the ever-elusive Petifogger for set and lighting design, Maureen Conheady-Trujillo for costumes, and Riley Lewis for sound and special effects. Music is used to underscore some of the action to significant effect. This is a very well cast show. All the actors are completely believable and appropriate for their roles. A dialect coach has assisted with some of the accents in the play; this works most of the time. The connections between Chris and his daughter Anna, Chris and his sometime woman Marty, and especially Anna and her lover Mat are meaningful. The fight scenes and the love scenes are managed with ease by all of the cast members. These seasoned actors bring this play to life. It is about change and these actors make us believe that transformative change is possible. Don't miss this outstanding production! Anna Christie runs through September 29, 2024, at the Vortex Theatre, 2900 Carlisle Blvd., Albuquerque NM. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, 2nd and 3rd Saturdays and Sundays at 2:00 pm. General Admission $24, Discount Admission $19 (students, SAG, AFTRA), For tickets and information, please visit www.vortexabq.org or call 505-247-8600. Directed by James Cady Cast: |
