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Regional Reviews: Minneapolis/St. Paul The Nature Crown Also see Arthur's reviews of That Wonder Boy, The Woodsman, The Manchurian Candidate, Death Tax
The story told—this will be my interpretation—is of Joao, a mid-career man who is laid off from his unspecified corporate job. Initially numbed with shock, Joao goes for a walk in the woods to sort things out, carrying with him a potted plant he rescued from his office. A boy snatches the plant from Joao's arms and runs deep into the woods. The boy's mother urges Joao to catch her son, as he is sure to get lost in the woods. It will come as no surprise that it is Joao, not the boy, who becomes lost, and found, and lost, and found again. He encounters a seemingly enchanted village, led by King George and Queen Imogen, on the verge of a major transformation, one that occurs about every hundred years, like Brigadoon. Everyone and everything will change; no one knows what their future holds, if indeed they will even exist in their current form. The villagers are both excited for and fearful of the impending change. One among them, Rupert, sees no need for everything to change and plots to subvert the process. Rupert tricks Joao into abetting his scheme. Along the way Joao encounters Veronica, a beautiful young woman to whom he is tenderly drawn; a pair of brothers who playfully shape-shift between human and natural forms; and Cyril the Rambler, a would-be guide to those on a journey—as well as young Jobash, apprentice to Cyril. Without revealing exactly how it plays out or how these dream characters pertain to Joao's real life, I can tell you that in the end, Joao is changed in ways that give him the heart and the hope to embrace whatever will be next in his life. Jon Ferguson, director of The Nature Crown, and Artistic Director of Theatre Forever, states in the program that the show is very personal to him, drawing upon his English roots and sense of place, as well as his experience of hope through the process of change. Ferguson's reflections on The Nature Crown are no doubt true, but it is not his singular invention. The show has been created collaboratively by all members of the acting ensemble, along with Ferguson, writer Dominic Orlando, and assistant director Dominic Orlando.. The twists and turns in the narrative can be difficult to follow. At times it feels like our journey is in a cul-de-sac, or perhaps a Mobius strip, with diversions for this or that character to display their eccentricities. This may in part be the result of so many theatrical chefs bringing their own ingredients to this collaborative stew. It is also part of the great fun. The Nature Crown is best appreciated with a suspension of the need for things to make sense. Part of the work's achievement is that its many parts, shooting off in all directions at once, do converge so that we reach the end with a sense of delighted inevitability. It is as if we are lost in the woods along with Joao, and though the ending feels just right at the moment it arrives, we cannot see it coming through the trees. The acting ensemble works hard to maintain a feeling of lightness, of being outside the boundaries, and at the same time connects to the here and now, especially through the humor. Diogo Lopes as Joao, is the center of the story, our porthole into the world on stage. Lopes is very engaging, and conveys the array of feelings he goes through—shock, fear, confusion, anger, retreat to an imagined idyllic past, and finally the ability to embrace the future: hope. His expressive face and voice create a real character in the midst of a wonderland of fantasy beings. Paul Rutledge and Alexander Hathaway play Trevor and Jeffrey, the shape-shifting brothers, with guileless humor, exuding their inner joy in moving in an out of nature, along with wonderful physical grace. Their antics may not always seem central to the story, but completely delight. The woman (whose son steals the potted plant, triggering Joao's journey) turns out to be Nature, and is played by Aimee K. Bryant with silent, loving wisdom. Bryant here brings the same inner glow that illuminated her performance as Celie in Park Square Theatre's recent The Color Purple. Catherine Johnson Justice as Queen Imogen, and Brant Miller as King George both convey great kindness and strength, even in the face of complete uncertainty. Tony Sarnicki's Rupert is appropriately sly and underhanded. Peter Lincoln Rusk as Cyril the Rambler has a comic awkwardness reminiscent of Will Ferrell. Nick Saxton is a clever Jobash the Apprentice, eager to prove himself a worthy Rambler. Adelin Phelps as Veronica conveys kindness and patience, as called for, though this is one character that might benefit by exuding a greater degree of intensity. The physical production is wondrous. The flexible Dowling Studio has been arranged with a square open stage in center, and the audience seated on risers on each side. The lighting allows us to see not only the players, but audience members across from us—extending a sense that not only the characters, but all of us, can be on this journey. Little trap doors on the stage allow for props to be scooped up, or rise unexpectedly, as needed. Theatre Forever practices physical theater where actors, rather than scenery, create the environment. For example, three actors form a river by holding half pipes end to end, and allowing water poured at one end to flow toward the other, dropping off to indicate a waterfall. Props have been designed with great humor and imagination. Added to this, lighting is used to change time of day, mood, and focus, and create a starry night sky. The costumes provide specific and imaginative outer cover that helps to convey each character's nature. An original score performed by a four-piece ensemble provides continuous musical accompaniment that perfectly complement the narrative. A five-member choral ensemble enters at one point and provides a new-age toned sense of ceremony to the tale. At another point, one of the characters breaks out in song, pop singer style, seeming both wildly out of place yet also an apt way for him to make his point. Joao takes a real journey. It is played out as the imaginative journey on stage, but his real journey after losing his job (which, for so many in our culture, is how we define ourselves) reconnects him to where he came from and what is really important within him, giving him strength to face the future. It sounds simple, but I know from experience, it can be painfully difficult. Theatre Forever, guided by Jon Ferguson's creative vision, has illuminated one way to make it the journey, at the same time making clear that each person's journey is uniquely theirs. See The Nature Crown to be inspired to set out on your own path, or just for the sheer joy of exuberantly creative storytelling. The Nature Crown is a production of Theatre Forever. It continues through April 5, 2015, at the Guthrie Theater's Dowling Studio, 818 South 2nd Street, Minneapolis, MN, 55115. Tickets from $22.00 -$30.00, Seniors (62+) and Students (with ID), $19.00 - $27.00; Children, $12.00 - $20.00. For tickets call 612-377-2224 or go to GuthrieTheater.org. Writer/Creator: Dominic Orlando; Director/Creator: Jon Ferguson; Assistant Director/Creator: Christian Bardin; Co-Creators: the Ensemble; Set Designer: Erica Zaffarano; Lighting Designer: Wu Chen Khoo; Costume Designer: Lori Opsal; Props Designer: Francisco Benavides; Second Props Designer: Cody Braudt; Sound/Score Composers: Tim Cameron, Dan Dukich, Kalen Rainbow Keir and Elizabeth Windnagel; Movement Advisor: Leslie O'Neil; Stage manager: Audrey Rice; Assistant Stage Managers: Cody Braudy & Rick Miller Cast: Lauren Ray Anderson (Constance), Aimee K. Bryant (Nature), Alexander Hathaway (Jeffrey), Catherine Johnson Justice (Queen Imogen), Diogo Lopes (Joao), Ben Mandelbaum (Leopold), Brant Miller (King George), Adelin Phelps (Veronica), Lorenzo Reyes (Wild Boy), Peter Lincoln Rusk (Cyril the Rambler), Tony Sarnicki (Rupert), Nick Saxton (Jobash the Apprentice/Rufus), Allison Witham (Charlie), Paul Rutledge (Trever). Ensemble Musicians: Tim Cameron, Dan Dukich, Kalen Rainbow Keir, Elizabeth Windnagel. Artemis Chamber Choir: Bethany Battafarano, Lauren Feider, Mandy Goldberg, Kerry Green, Elizabeth Rodde, Tessa Vigoren.
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