RESTLESS VICTORIAN WOMEN FIND THEIR VOICE IN "THE AWAKENING"

By Chuck Graham, TucsonStage.com

 

photo by Tim Fuller

Bryn Booth as Edna Pontellier feels pinned in by the male dominated culture of proper New Orleans in the 1890s

 

If nothing else, the Rogue Theatre's crystal-clear adaptation of Kate Chopin's feminist classic, “The Awakening,” will inspire you to immediately read the book.

The Rogue's own Christopher Johnson, who adapted the book to the stage and then directed this production, deftly leads Bryn Booth through her heart-rending portrayal of the unsettled Edna Pontellier.

Booth delivers an award-worthy performance, capturing both the nervy defiance and the pain of isolation as Edna seeks to express feelings of her own worthiness that the upscale and proper Victorian women of the New Orleans Creole social order in the 1890s simply were not allowed to have.

Johnson has framed his account within the Rogue's own style preference for a practically bare stage, elaborate period costumes, occasional sound effects and the pantomimed motions for pouring drinks and the like.

Pianist, music director and composer Russell Ronnebaum also has an atmospheric role providing onstage accompaniment, including selections by Frederic Chopin (no relation to Kate).

Johnson also employs long passages of narration, with each cast member taking a turn stepping aside to talk directly to the audience. This works well to keep the attention on Edna as she progresses through each scene while other characters come and go, advancing in one way or another her twisting awareness that this male-oriented society has not provided any space for women to express themselves independently of their husbands or their children.

It is impossible not to see “The Awakening” through today's awareness of injustice as society seeks to re-adjust itself more fairly. How much progress has been made over the past 120 years will depend on your personal definition of a woman's place in society today.

If you see this play more than once, which is definitely recommended, you will come away with a different awareness each time.

The other eight cast members form a tight ensemble of equal contributions. They are Aaron Shand as Leonce Pontellier, Edna's husband; Hunter Hnat as Robert Lebrun, Edna's close friend; Christopher Johnson as Alcee Arobin, an infamous playboy who fancies Edna; Carly Elizabeth Preston as Adele Ratignolle, a good friend of Edna; Joseph McGrath as M. Ratignolle, the family doctor and philosopher; Cynthia Meier as Mlle. Reisz, a family friend adored for her piano playing; Christopher Pankratz as Victor Lebrun, brother of Robert; Teri Lee Thomas as Madam Lebrun, mother of Robert.

Most of the story takes place on Grand Island, Louisiana, located south of New Orleans, where proper manners are observed and respected. Edna does the best she can to meet these confining requirements, but now and then those demands become overwhelming.

We watch and nod in silent sympathy as Edna tries to escape, but there is no place to run. It is only when she is swimming in the sea that she feels most free from a society that cares little for her personal needs.

“The Awakening” runs through Sept. 26, with the video version available through Oct. 10. Performances in the Rogue Theatre at the Historic Y, 300 E. University Blvd., are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. matinees Saturdays-Sundays. Tickets are $42, students $15. Group discounts are available.

Run time with intermission is two hours and five minutes. The cast will not wear masks. Audience members are requested to wear masks through the performance. Refreshments will be available at intermission.

For further details and reservations, theroguetheatre.org, or phone 520-551-2053.