BWW Reviews: Isango Ensemble's VENUS AND ADONIS

Let's be clear from the start-this joyous, multitalented, charismatic company could stage my grocery list, and it would be mesmerizing. Fortunately for this audience, their inspiration was a little loftier-Shakespeare's epic love poem, Venus and Adonis, and the result is a sensual, and richly sensory experience.

The Isango Ensemble, brought to Washington as part of The Shakespeare Theatre Company's Presentations Series focusing on works from around the world, is based in Cape Town, South Africa, and is made up of performers from the surrounding area, who were sought out and brought together in 2000 by Director and co-founder Mark Dornford-May. Isango looks at Western works through an African lens, and what they bring to this 400 year old classic work is both ancient and contemporary, simple and lush, quiet and thunderous, straightforward and nuanced. Weaving the African rhythms, music, vocalizations and instrumentation with Venus and Adonis, uses a deeply human, very grounded style to tell a vaunted story of the love of a goddess for a mere mortal.

In a nutshell, goddess falls head over heels in love with young, handsome very mortal hunter, and tries every wile and sensual temptation to seduce him, convince him that hunting the vicious boar is too dangerous and to choose the love she offers instead. He resists all of her efforts, leaves, and, as predicted, dies while hunting. Goddess is bereft, and mourns her lost love, promising dire consequences for love going forward.

Simple yes, but in this production, the words are nowhere near as important as the way in which the ideas are being conveyed; they are sung, crooned, whistled, caressed, sent by way of the actors' eyes, hands, feet, hips. It is storytelling that engages the audience, and challenges us to be rapt, observant and flexible. Five different languages are used, and the operatic style of singing made even the English difficult to catch. But for this tale of passion and the enigma of the heart's desire, a pleading look to the heavens, the toss of a flirtatious hand, or the soaring harmonies of the voices, was enough to carry the story.

A caveat though: here's where I strongly recommend that you read the synopsis in your program before the show begins. As beautiful and inspiring as the performances are in this Venus, there is a real challenge, especially during Venus' lengthy soliloquies, in getting the nuance of Shakespeare's poetic language when you are not hearing it in a language you understand. Don't get me wrong, there is wonderful nuance in the performances; and the languages used, which include Zulu, Afrikaans, Setho and Sotswana, are lovely and fascinating to hear, especially the musical clicking and popping characteristic of many African languages. But if you are not familiar with the words being spoken, you may find yourself feeling as if you are missing something important. Whether you actually are or not, is debatable. There is much to be gained from engaging with the actor who is communicating with you primarily with her eyes, intonation, body language and music. But especially in Venus' final despair, and pronouncements on the future of mortal love, something may be lost for the primarily English-speaking audience with no prior knowledge of Shakespeare's poem.

And make no mistake, this is Venus' story, a thrill ride on the highs and lows of love and desire. The company has multiple actors play Venus, led by spellbinding company co-founder and Music Director, Pauline Malefane. As each Venus picks up the story, she is passed a flowing white drape from her predecessor; their diversity of look and manner representing both all women, and, at the same time, the many layers within one. It is a demanding role, with long, emotional arias, and intricate stage work. Malefane performs the final grieving scene with heartbreaking vulnerability and palpable pain, and each of her counterparts was memorable and appealing in her own way. The single actor representing Adonis (Mhlekazi (Wha Wha) Mosiea), also has a great deal to communicate with his silence; the anguish and frustration abundantly clear, as he repeatedly struggles to free himself from Venus' temptations, in favor of the hunting he loves. Mosiea's voice is velvety and rich, so when he does speak/sing, it is an effective contrast to the force of Venus.

In fact, the mastery of sound and rhythm that the Isango performers display throughout is truly breathtaking. Their voices seem almost otherworldly; they are birds in rustling trees, shrieking calls in the distance, a particularly fearsome boar, a hauntingly ethereal chorus echoing the music being sung by Venus. The pounding of feet against the stage could be a stampede, a raucous celebration or a call to action, and the steeply-raked, bare wood stage and minimal props, seemed to bring the ensemble and the audience closer together. The beautiful earth tones and richly textured fabrics from which the costumes were made, is a feast for the eyes, without distracting from the storytelling. I felt at times as if we were all outside under the stars being told an ancient story in a truly organic way.

I will say that the decision to run the show with an intermission confused me; an opinion I overheard echoed among several fellow audience members. As a poem, it is almost inherently unitary, and interrupting this flow, after working so beautifully to entrance the audience and engage their senses, seems a disservice to the actors and the audience. Also, while there is abundant lightness and humor early on in this epic seduction (Zamile Gantana's Cupid deserves special mention), and Act II begins with a rousing and lovely sunrise chorus, the story then moves inexorably to its tragic end, complete with a rather gloriously gruesome and ghostly Death (Zebulon Mmusi). I think that without the break between the two acts, the audience would have been seamlessly carried on this emotional journey, and the experience would have been more balanced.

It seemed fitting that the cast responded to the audience's ovation with offering applause back. There was a connection formed between the performers and the audience that felt intimate and collaborative. Isango is performing Mozart's The Magic Flute in repertory with Venus and Adonis, and the troupe's remarkable talents are perfectly suited to such an exuberant work. But whether you see the more somber Venus, or The Magic Flute, you will be glad to have experienced this unique theater company and its masterful storytelling.

Venus and Adonis will run for two more performances, September 17 at 7:30pm, and September 20th at 2:00pm, at Shakespeare Theatre Company's Lansburgh Theatre. Note that on September 20, you can see both Venus and Adonis (2:00pm) and The Magic Flute (8:00pm).

To post a comment, you must register and login.