Review: CRONE CREED at El Portal Theatre

The historic El Portal Theater in North Hollywood is an underrated gem, offering up revivals and world premieres of outstanding quality. The venue’s latest offering, CRONE CREED, is an ambitious take on mythology and fate, and it is one of the best shows the El Portal has offered in recent years — out of a field of many exceptional efforts.

Casey Morgan and T. Theresa Scarano’s project follows a woman, Vita (Vivianna McCormick), who is part of a familial line called Crones, who are sworn to help heal humanity. Aided by two older Crones, Dara (Carolina Hoyos) and Roya (April Nixon), she must face the Fallen, crones who fell from righteousness, giving in to their desires and gone to the dark side, including her brother, Yanni (Ben Ubiñas).

Each character is drawn well, with shades of black and white, exemplified by chess pieces that have special powers. It’s helpful that the two leads are siblings. Most writers would take the easy way out and make them lovers, because they think the stakes are higher that way, but they’re not. Not necessarily, at least. Siblings have very different dynamics, a lifetime of resentments and bonds and biases.

The lighting by Eliseo Aragon sets quite a mood, and the costumes by Kaylee Silcocks are high quality and lovely. Enormous vertical chess boards by Daniel B. Chapman are beautiful but, depending where you’re seated, they may also hinder your view of the stage. Chapman’s projection design, while trying to create a sense of place, is distracting by his use of AI. No matter your thoughts on AI, it should never look like AI. McCormick and Ubiñas are particularly strong, carrying a fairly heavy show deftly on their shoulders. Director John Epstein lets the playwrights’ themes land without letting the show become ponderous, a thin line to walk with material like this. Nixon and Hoyos are also standout performers, two heavyweights offering fantastic support.

With class and religious themes throughout, CRONE CREED has much to say and it says it with beauty and audacity. The story spans centuries — a Greek myth crossed with a dystopian “Cloud Atlas” — and is a rousing and thought-provoking journey, reflecting our world now. In the end, nothing changes, the world — and humanity — is different but the same. The proletariat needs to rise up, having been issued a call to arms. The question is, will anyone ever take the lead? CRONE CREED is a swing for the fences that ends up a home run.

Photos by Jim Cox

CRONE CREED is at the El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Boulevard, in North Hollywood, through October 17. Tickets are available at ci.ovationtix.com/371/production/1285555.

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