Even if you've got more than one good eye, The Theatre Inc.'s new space (now hosting the Cyclops as part of a Greek-classics double feature) is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it affair.
But considering how many downtown performance venues have vanished in the name of redevelopment over the past few years, the mere fact of the cozy theater's opening is something to smile about.
So is the show – and it's even usually on purpose. “Cyclops” is a downright raunchy little comedy, Aeschylus' spoofy remix of a tale that first appeared in Homer's “Odyssey.”
At The Theatre Inc., it's preceded by “Prometheus Bound,” the sober-minded chronicle of the god cursed by Zeus for giving fire and other precious gifts to humankind. Both pieces are directed by company artistic director Douglas Lay, from translations by Marianne McDonald, the UCSD professor and classics expert.
This lineup is in keeping with the strong Greek streak of the year-old Theatre Inc., which on Sunday will also open a revival of “Helen,” the Euripides work the company staged with success last summer.
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“Prometheus Bound” and “Cyclops”
The Theatre Inc.
When: Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.
Where: The Theatre Inc.'s New Theatre, 899 C St., downtown
Tickets: $22-$25
Phone: (619) 216-3016
Online: thetheatreinc.com
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The Theatre Inc. started producing shows at this same address last year, in a space then known as the Ark, before moving to temporary digs while the new theater was readied.
The house has 50 seats – some of the more comfortable seats in town, actually – and a solid technical setup. It could use more soundproofing; on opening night, sounds of traffic and amplified music occasionally bled in distractingly from the busy downtown streets.
The theater doesn't have much of a rake, which posed a problem during scenes in “Prometheus” that were unfortunately staged at floor level, making the action hard to see for anyone not in the front row.
The intimacy of the space mostly works well, though, for this story of the tormented but unrepentant god who's been chained to a rock for his “absurd devotion to man.”
Brian Abraham (identified as “Brain” three times in the opening-night program; maybe Zeus also chained the proofreader?) makes for an imposing Prometheus, his arms extended in a Christlike pose from shackles on both sides. He brings a visceral mix of pain and disdain, slagging Zeus even though he knows his harsh words aren't likely to increase the peace with the god in chief.
He's joined by three sympathetic Oceanids (Melissa Hamilton, Vanessa B. Milton and Diana Sparta), costumed by Lay in fanciful, seafoam-hued get-ups topped with what resemble white bathing caps. When Prometheus tells of how he gave fire to humans, the spooked Oceanids deploy their parasols, like pufferfish showing their spines.
Later he's visited by Oceanus and by Zeus' messenger, Hermes (both played by Rhys Green), as well as the wigged-out Io (Bianca Chapman), cursed by Zeus to wander the Earth in misery. (She's been turned into a cow in the original story, although that aspect is less clear here). Prometheus' defiance leads to inevitable doom, conveyed in part by projections that could be from a computer game.
The shorter “Cyclops” is shot through with such wackiness that it feels like a spoof of a spoof. (A satyr satire?)
Three satyrs (spirited and funny Greg Lawson, Devin O'Neill and Marcuz Rodriguez) strut around with their outsized man-parts – here represented by what used to be called marital aids – flapping in the breeze. They're joined by the Daddy Satyr, Silenius (Green, amusingly over-the-top), who is comparatively lacking in the manhood department.
That might be standard satyr fare, but Lay's touches include snippets of songs like “Red Red Wine,” cued as the lads carouse with Odysseus (comically pompous Chris Fonseca) and the soon-to-be-sightless Cyclops (Abraham).
It's a little much. And as the saying goes, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye. (Sorry about that, Cy.)
James Hebert: (619) 293-2040; jim.hebert@uniontrib.com
