Metamorphoses by Constellation Theatre Company at Source Theatre

My dad is a Latin teacher and majored in Classics when he was in college, so I grew up with the stories from Ovid and the Odyssey and the Aeneid.  The members of the ensemble of Metamorphoses took these stories and made the relevant to today's audience and put their own signature spin on them.

The trapezoidal pool in the center of the stage was so brilliant.  It was such a perfect centerpiece to all of the stories: It was Hades, the ocean, Phaeton's swimming pool, and many others.  The gentle lapping of the water and the reflection of the lights lent the ethereal, mysterious ambiance from which a show like this really benefits. I can imagine that a show without it would be good, but this production has so much depth because of its inclusion.

The costumes are a work of art.  Everyone spends a good deal of time in the water, and Kendra Rai, costume designer, made sure the costumes were functional and absolutely gorgeous.  I was particularly enamored with the ones during the story about the kingfishers.  You'll have to go see the show to know what I mean!

I have to commend the entire ensemble - the show is 90 minutes long with no intermission, and each of them play 5-6 parts.  While multiple casting is normal for this troupe, the fact that there are 50+ characters in this show means that everyone is more than pulling their weight.  It was lovely to see some new faces (Michael Kevin Darnall, Jefferson Farber, Matthew Pauli, and Jade Wheeler) alongside associate artists Ashley Ivey, Misty Demory, Katie Atkinson, Megan Dominy, Lisa Lias, and Keith E. Irby.  Tom Teasley, as always, created a beautiful and dynamic backdrop with his live music.  4 stars


Metamorphoses
by Ovid
Constellation Theatre Company
at Source Theatre
1835 14th Street NW
Washington, DC  20009
directed by Allison Arkell Stockman



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