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BWW Reviews: Not Man Apart Physical Theater Presents Thrilling Staging of HERCULES FURENS

By: Jun. 07, 2013

Not Man Apart (NMA), the Los Angeles-based physical theatre ensemble since 2004, presents John Farmanesh-Bocca's adaptation of Roman Philosopher and Playwright Seneca the Younger's tragedy HERCULES FURENS (The Madness of Hercules) opening Thursday, June 6 and closing Sunday, June 23, 2013 at the Miles Memorial Playhouse located at 1130 Lincoln Blvd. in Santa Monica.

NMA is a collective of performers, dancers, actors, designers and theatre artists who make dance/movement inspired theatre pieces using a mash-up of theatre traditions and modern technology, cultivating new storytelling forms from ancient techniques to present thrilling staging of both modern and classic texts using multi-track scoring, physical prowess, unconventional dance and movement.

NMA was originally commissioned in 2011 by The Getty Villa to adapt and stage this rarely done Roman Tragedy in a workshop performance. The current production is the fully completed World Premiere of the play which is considered one of the first plays written that addresses the notion of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) of soldiers in battle, but it was never produced and only read in Seneca's lifetime.

Adapted and directed by John Farmanesh-Bocca and choreographed by Farmanesh-Bocca, Jones Welsh and the NMA ensemble, the action follows the journey of Hercules, Jupiter's half-mortal son, through his famous Labors and into his madness when he returns home from battle, induced by the Goddess Juno (Jupiter's Vengeful Wife) to murder his own wife and children. This athletic adaptation portrays Hercules as a man attempting to survive his own unforgivable crime in the aftermath of being proclaimed a hero.

The twelve labors, in their traditional order, are slay the Nemean Lion, capture the Golden Hind of Artemis, capture the Erymanthian Boar, clean the Augean stables in a single day, slay the Stymphalian birds, capture the cretan bull, steal the mares of Diomedes, obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon, steal the apples of the Hesperides, and capture and bring back Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog from the Underworld.

Many of these labors were told through magnificent dance movement, creative lighting effects, wonderful costumes, evocative music selections, and the incredible acting/dancing ability of the entire cast, especially John F. Bocca as Hercules and Jones Welsh, Noel Arthur, and Eric Naficy Dyrhsen as his Watchmen. Eye-catching body art adorned each of these finely sculpted men, adding to the mysticism of each character they portrayed. As they told the stories of the labors through combined and extremely intricate dance movements, their skill certainly exemplified the group's moniker as a physical theatre ensemble with each scene more exciting that the last. You will not be able to take your eyes off them!

While all the supporting actors/dancers deserve commendation, I must point to Devon Dionne and Alina Bolshakova as Juno's nymphs Pleasure and Virtue, sent to distract Hercules from finishing his labors. These two lithe young women commanded the stage as a counter balance to the men, at times becoming part of the statuary or flying off a large fist (representing a rock) into the arms of Hercules. Their movements are breathtaking, as is the entire production

The extremely talented HERCULES FURENS cast features John F. Bocca (Hercules), Alina Bolshakova (Nymph of Juno), Devon Dionne (Nymph of Juno), Apollo Dukakis (Amphitryon - Hercules' Human Father), Courtney Munch (Megara - Hercules' Wife), Natacha Roi (Juno - Wife of Jupiter), Randolph Rand (Lycus - the Usurper of Thebes), Eric Dyrhsen (Watchman/Apollo), Noel Arthur (Watchman/Mercury), Jones Welsh (Watchman/Mars), Emanuel Takoda Borror (Son of Hercules), and Catherine Galanti (Daughter of Hercules).

I highly recommend this production to anyone who loves mythology, dance and innovative theater. But do leave the young children at home as this 60-minute production is more suitable to ages 10 and above.

HERCULES FURENS (The Madness of Hercules)
Adapted & Directed By John Farmanesh-Bocca for Not Man Apart - Physical Theatre Ensemble
Miles Memorial Playhouse 1130 Lincoln Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90403
TICKET PRICES: $25 TICKETS & INFO: 818-618-4772
Email admin@NotManApart.com; Website:www.NotManApart.com

Performances on Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 5pm through June 23.

Important Parking Information
Limited metered parking is available surrounding the park, FREE on Sundays and after 6PM all other days at all meters. Read signs carefully and do not park in the permit-only parking areas on the other side of the street.

Free event parking is available at the pink granite-faced subterranean garage serving the 808 Wilshire Bldg, vehicle entry on Lincoln. Important: Do not take the automatic machine printed ticket - instead mention "I'm going to Miles Playhouse" to the attendant on entry.

For evening performances: 808 Wilshire and its parking lot closes at 8pm. After mentioning "Miles Playhouse" to the attendant, be sure to receive the special validated ticket. After the event, use the ticket to swipe the card reader to the right of the pedestrian entrance at 808 Wilshire. Take the elevator down to the parking area. The pressure of your vehicle at the exit will lift the gate.

Trust me, the performance is definitely worth the parking hassle!

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