I was told I’d be safe from the splashback.
My seat for the Aurora Fox’s production of “Metamorphoses” is on a riser in the fourth row of the studio theater, and I fully expect to remain dry during the show that features a 3,500-gallon pool as its central set piece. Fat chance. Midway into the first act, the full scope of this ambitious production hits me in the form of water splayed across my face, my notebook and my program. Sure, I haven’t gotten drenched as badly as the folks in the front two rows, aka “the splash zone,” but I didn’t completely escape the dampness either.
There’s really no getting away from being invested in the action of the Aurora Fox’s ambitious season opener. The giant swimming pool designed by Charles Packard and technical director Brandon Philip Case may not be the star of the show (that honor would fall to several standout performances and constantly clever directing by Geoffrey Kent) but it plays a central part in conveying the mood and feel of Zimmerman’s text. Adapted from Ovid’s poem “Metamorphoses” and composed of nine interrelated stories pulled from ancient Greek mythology, Zimmerman’s drama is all about the symbolic power of transformation.
Shimmering reflections from the water dance on the theater walls; actors swim in via an unseen, underwater tunnel and pop up unexpectedly during key scenes; the slap of water against the pool’s edges is constant soundtrack. It all makes for a feel of fluidity, a mood that’s tailor-made for the show’s subject matter. (To keep the actors comfortable, the heat in the theater is notched up, but the Fox offers complementary bottles of water during the show).
Moral lessons underlie the ancient Greek tales of gods, goddesses and mortals transforming into different forms, and Zimmerman drills down to the myths’ deeper messages.
She includes the tale of King Midas, the greedy ruler who asked the gods for the power to transform any substance to gold with his mere touch. After separation, death and grief, King Ceyx and his wife Alcyone find release by being transformed into birds. The god Vertumnus tries many disguises to woo Pamona; the gods Zeus and Hermes disguise themselves as beggars on earth to test the kindness and generosity of mortals.
All of these tales come to dynamic life in the central 3,500-gallon tank. Kent, a company member with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival and an award-winning theatrical fight coordinator, shows the benefit of all his stage experience in his direction here. The movement in and out of the water is fluid; the blocking feels seamless despite the formidable challenge of a swimming pool, a wet deck and two levels on the stage. The fight scene in the water during the story of King Ceyx is tense and compelling — it’s also responsible for the most extreme splashback of the show.
The actors’ interaction and blocking also takes cues from Kent’s time at the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. The story of Erysichthon, a godless man who’s consumed by hunger, has the epic feel of a production of “King Lear.” That’s not to say the production is without humor and lightness. Comedy underpins the tale of Phaeton and Apollo, and there are plenty of sight jokes tied to the set in the form of inflatable pool rafts, rubber duckies and plastic fishing poles.
The ensemble cast handles that mix of grandiosity and goofiness well. Justin Walvoord, Carmen Vreeman and Ryan Wuestewald deliver some of the show’s high points; Zachary Andrews, Michelle Hurtubise, Jaimie Morgan, Michael Morgan and Jada Roberts flip between multiple characters with ease.
The biggest drawback here is density. Dozens of characters come across the stage in a little less than two hours. Epic tales of creation, hubris and passion unfold rapidly, as the audience deals with the impressive distraction of the giant swimming pool. The overall effect of Zimmerman’s vignettes is more fleeting than profound. Still, there are timeless moral truths here, lessons that feel all the more arresting when water hits you in the face.
THREE STARS OUT OF FOUR
“Metamorphoses” runs until Sept. 22 at the Aurora Fox theater, 9900 E. Colfax Ave. Tickets start at $26. Information: 303-739-1970 or aurorafox.org.
Reach reporter Adam Goldstein at 720-449-9707 or agoldstein@aurorasentinel.com