By James Karas
Botticelli in the Fire and
Sunday in Sodom by Jordan Tannahill. Directed by Matjash
Mrozewski (Botticelli) and Estelle Shook (Sunday) with Salvatore Antonio (Botticelli/
Chris), Valerie Buhagiar (Madre Maria/Edith), Nicola Correia-Damude (Clarice/Sarah),
Stephen Jackman-Torkoff (Leonard/Isaac), Christopher Norris (Lorenzo/Derek),
Alon Nashman (Savonarola/Lot). At
Berkeley Street Theatre until May 15, 2016. www.canadianstage.com
What do Sandro
Botticelli and Lot’s wife have in common? That depends on your imagination, I
suppose, but we can be sure of one thing: both can be seen on stage at the
Berkeley Street Theatre in a double bill by Jordan Tannahill.
The one-act
plays are based on some historical facts and the active imagination of
Tannahill. Costumes and speech are modern with liberal use of coarse language
and raunchy scenes.
Christopher Morris and Salvatore Antonio in Botticelli. Photo Cylla von Tiedemann
Botticelli in
the Fire deals with the painting of The Birth
of Venus, Botticelli’s relations with Clarice, the model for Venus and the wife
of his patron Lorenzo de Medici. For good measure we also have Leonardo, a young
artist and sexual partner of Botticelli as well as Savonarola, the deeply moral
friar who may have had a great influence on the artist.
The play
displays some fine and witty prose which to my surprise did not generate any
laughter the day I saw it. The salty language is quite delightful and the
sexual content, well, very sexual.
We are made to
understand in no uncertain terms that Botticelli was priapically gifted. His
first conquest is the deliciously assembled Clarice who puts her social status
and influence as Botticelli’s benefactor to pleasurable use.
But Botticelli
is not a specialist and he displays his open-mindedness with the muscular
Leonardo. The moral voice of Savonarola arrives and of course the painting of
the The Birth of Venus not to mention Clarice’s husband finding out some
unpleasant facts.
Salvatore Antonio
plays Botticelli and acts as commentator/chorus in the play. He starts with a
microphone addressing the audience directly and steps out of character several
times during the performance. This Botticelli is a free-spirited artist who
takes chances but is also influenced by a devoted friar.
You are drawn
into the fascinating subject – human, artistic, religious, spiritual – and
enjoy a well-performed and well directed performance.
Valerie Buhagiar and Nicola Correia-Damude in Sunday in Sodom. Photo Cylla von Tiedemann
The second play
is Sunday
in Sodom about the nameless wife of Lot who was turned into a pillar of
salt in the Old Testament because she disobeyed God and looked back after her
escape from Sodom. As with Botticelli, Tannahill gives the play a moderns setting
with racy language.
Mrs. Lot gets a
name, Edith, and is superbly played by Valerie Buhagiar. Edith stands still on
stage as if she were a pillar of salt and she narrates much of the play. We
start with a terrified Isaac whose father Abraham took him to a mountain, tied
him to a rock and was about kill him when he suddenly stopped. We know that a
loving God stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son, but Isaac does not know
that.
Isaac is given
shelter by Lot and he happens to be homosexual. The Lots have a couple of
wounded soldiers visit them. Terrorists have blown up the market place and the
soldiers, who speak only English and cannot be understood by the Lots seek assistance.
Edith has an
outspoken and very independent daughter named Sarah (in a spirited performance
by Correia-Damude) and we have scenes of modern domestic disputes with the
Biblical story in the background.
Tannahill gives
us original and interesting takes on Botticelli and the story of Lot and Sodom.
The plays are done with a minimum of props and a maximum attention on acting
and close directorial attention.
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