David Mamet said once (in the forward to his translation of The Cherry Orchard) that the title of
that play is a flag of convenience, and no one really cares about the titular
orchard itself. Arthur Giron's The Coffee Trees wisely dispenses with
concern about the fate of the trees, instead evoking danger and impending doom
through historical fact. His adaptation takes
place on a Guatemalan coffee plantation following the country's 35-year civil
war between communist guerilla forces and conservative landowners. It's not so much a straight adaptation;
motifs and characters from The Cherry
Orchard are reflected and distorted as in a funhouse mirror.
Elena Reyes de Escalante (Christine Farrell) is coming home
to Guatemala. Her brother Antonio (Chris Ceraso) is drunk
and his niece Barbara (Elizabeth A. Davis) and the servant Bombi (Annie Henk) are
getting him ready, even though he's broken into the schoolroom of Elena's dead
son, which has been kept pristine in his memory. Barbara is on edge since she was terrorized
by guerillas that morning. Bombi is in love with The
Schoolmaster (Victor Truro), who has just been released from prison. Lopez (Teddy Cañez) arrives to greet Elena as
well. She comes, with her other daughter
Anita (Veronica Matta) as well as a semi-famous American ex-soccer player who
they picked up in Paris,
named Manny (Steven Pounders), who promptly passes out due to the high
altitude, and spends most of the first scene unconscious and mumbling. Meanwhile, Antonio (the only doctor around)
has dug some bullets out of one of the Guerillas, a Comandante X (Dan
Domingues). Unfortunately, he saw the
Comandante's face, and therefore must leave the country or be killed, so he
won't reveal CX's identity to the authorities.
Elena, suspecting that CX is the Guerilla who killed her son, hatches a
plan to kill CX, and asks for him to be sent to her. Meanwhile, Manny and Barbara have fallen
quickly in love, and she takes him out into the wilderness for a mystical love
journey.
The plot diverges greatly from Chekhov here, and it would be
irresponsible of me to continue with the synopsis, as a few of the twists and
turns are meant to be surprising (though one was clearly foreshadowed).
The play is often very clever and interesting. The language is
beautiful and evocative, and the actors savor it. The theme of continuity vs. chaos comes
through clearly; the parallels to Chekhov's work are intriguing. However, much of the play seems inorganic, with non sequiturs dropping
from the characters' mouths without clear motivation. Some of what seems to be magical realism is
never completely realized. Certain plot
points are raised and then dropped again without explanation, or sometimes only
hinted at.
The cast is mixed- Christine Farrell, as Elena, is every
inch the grande dame she should be, and is quite fine in the dramatic parts of
the play, though she seems to falter when it comes to her character's more
comic lines. Dan Domingues, as the handsome
and "mysterious" Comandante X, is full of dashing vigor. Annie Henk is hilarious as Bombi, often
garnering laughs with her facial expressions alone. Teddy Cañez smolders as Lopez, bristling with
barely-contained virility. Steven Pounders plays Manny as a wide-eyed naïf,
insanely glad-humored and enthralled by everything he encounters- he almost
seems retarded at times, rather like Clara in
The Light in the Piazza.
Elizabeth A. Davis has not much to do as Barbara, but is a game presence
reacting to all the craziness about her (she also plays Varya in Resonance's
The Cherry Orchard, running in
rep). Veronica Matta has even less to do
other than be lovely. Chris Ceraso
commits fully to Antonio, no matter what his unusual circumstances, which vary widely
from scene to scene (he also is in
The
Cherry Orchard, as Gaev). Victor
Truro is rather quiet and strange in the underwritten role of The Schoolmaster.
Resonance Ensemble's production is elegant and sumptuous,
and Dr. Marion Castleberry's direction rarely falters. Scenic design by Dustin O'Neill is especially
beautiful. It's worth a look; I'm
disappointed I won't be able to catch their
Cherry
Orchard.
Scheduled September 28 through October 21 at Theatre Row's
Beckett Theatre (410 West 42nd Street) - THE COFFEE TREES and THE CHERRY
ORCHARD run in repertory Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesdays through Fridays at 8pm,
Saturdays at 2pm & 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm & 7pm (please note there
will be no 2pm performance on Saturday, September 29 or Sunday, September 30;
there will be no 7pm performance on Sunday, October 21; and there will be an
added 2pm student matinee on Wednesday, October 17).
Tickets are $18 and can be reserved by calling Ticket
Central at 212-279-4200 or on-line at www.ticketcentral.com. For additional
details, please visit www.resonanceensemble.org.
Photo Caption (left to right):
1. Chris Ceraso (as Antonio Reyes), Steven Pounders (as
Manny), and Veronica Matta (as Anita)
2. Christine Farrell (as Elena Reyes de Escalante), Dan
Domingues (as Comandante X), and Chris Ceraso (as Antonio Reyes)
3. Chris Ceraso (as Antonio Reyes) and Elizabeth A. Davis (as Barbara)
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