Seattle Review: The Secret in the Wings at Seattle Repertory Theatre

Mary Zimmerman is truly God's gift to contemporary theatre. Her works have ranged from Shakespeare to original plays to opera, and she is never behind the curve. She leads the curve. Her work is always blazingly contemporary and remarkably insightful. Her current production of The Secret in the Wings, co-produced by Seattle Rep, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center and Lookingglass Theatre Company, is a testament to this.

Originally produced by Lookingglass in 1991, Secret in the Wings is a mishmash of odd fairy tales mixed in with one familiar one, though it seems unfamiliar until the end. Framed by the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast, each fairy tale is told halfway through and then interrupted by the next half of the next fairy tale, until we reach the central story, which is told straight through, after which the remainder of the earlier stories are told in reverse order. The show opens with a child being forced to stay with the ogre who lives next door (he has a tail) while her parents go out. As the show progresses we meet seven sons (and one daughter), ghosts, sisters, maids, kings, queens, princes, and all the like. And while all the stories have a dark tinge to them, they hault before becoming too abrassive and heavy by mixing in a little insight and humor for good measure.

Zimmerman has created a flawless theatre piece. A truly stunning, beautiful, intriguing work that has one on the edge of their seat; not because of thrills or suspense, but because of wonder and awe. While the stories are all well-scripted it is the pure artistry of the show that one pays their attention to. The glowing visuals leave an imprint in your mind; the innovative staging provokes one to think and ponder. If anything, the brilliant staging is more exciting than the play itself, but they go hand-in-hand, and one wouldn't work without the other.

The performances were also top notch. An ensemble cast of nine weaves this magical spell with great ease and simplicity. All the performances were subtle and appropriate, with the entire cast right always on the same page. They move about the stage with ease, handling props and setting each scene.

The brilliance about the concept, staging and design is how it is all at ounce epic and intimate. There is an equal mix of grandeur and simplicity. Dan Ostling's visually evocative set skillfully separates the areas of action into a cellar, a living room, a bedroom and a stair case, utilizing doors and traps and armoires as entrances. Mara Blumenfeld's costumes were remarkably simple and non-descript, helping to give the show the feel as if we're in an alternate world or universe with no distinct time-period or place. Sound designers Andre Pluess and Ben Sussman create perfect cues for scene changes, accomapniment and sound effects. And TJ Gerckens lighting uses an array of colors and positions to great effect, and creatively exercses his use of shadows. His design only enhances the visual power of this already stimulating show.

If I said everything I wanted to about this show this review would be 10 pages long, but only because I wouldn't know where to begin to describe the events that happened on that stage, and the feelings they evoked. This production truly helped to reinvigorate me as a theatre artist, and has helped me become excited about the future of this great art form. One can only hope that Ms. Zimmerman will make a few more trips to The Rep. Give her $10 and the woman can make glorious theatre.

-Ethan John Thompson

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