BWW Reviews: THE BARGAIN & THE BUTTERFLY Spreads its Wings

Occasionally a play comes along that, no matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about. Such was my experience over the weekend with THE BARGAIN & THE BUTTERFLY, inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Artist of the Beautiful", conceived & directed by Katharine Noon for The Ghost Road Theatre Company.

Developed from devising workshops that are a kind of free-form collaborative exploration, it is an exciting and immensely thought-provoking journey into the mind and its fine line between genius, madness, and the all-consuming obsession with creation and knowledge.

Alternately detached and intensely emotional, THE BARGAIN & THE BUTTERFLY plays out delicately, yet with great weight as the repetition of specific words, phrases and ideas evoke a work of beauty when pieced together by threads of glass. And the collaboration doesn't stop with the actors and director.

Cricket S. Myers' sound design breathes subtly in the background - drops of water, the ticking of time passing, the shatter of dreams made physical in blunt abstractions that create art in and of themselves as their presence lingers in the air. These are moments that live long after the show has ended and the audience steps back into the insidious reality of everyday sameness.

Characters periodically light themselves with hand-held clip lights and flashlights that call to mind a feeling of being examined under a spotlight or microscope as they continually move into deeper levels of commentary. Ronnie Clark's lighting is exquisite throughout and Maureen Weiss's production design is a tactile presence.

Christel Joy Johnson offers a prism of unlimited colors in her portrayal of Annie, the obsessed woman who will not stop until she finds a solution for her problem. Using synchronized movements, she and Brian Weir (as Owen) express a deep emotional connection that more than once drew audible gasps from the audience. Because part of the absolute joy of seeing this play is figuring out who each character is to each other, I won't elaborate further on their relationship here. Revelations come in fragments rather than lining up linearly and that, too, is exciting, making it incumbent upon the audience to pay close attention.

As a glass blower who finds himself drawn in to Annie's world by happenstance, Doug Sutherland delivers an intricate, finely nuanced character who, like Johnson, reveals his thoughts as much in the moments he isn't speaking as in those he does. Jen Kays and Ronnie Clark complete the ensemble as Mother and Father, personifying the familial archetypes that come together to create new life while also expressing the sad inability of two loving individuals to completely understand each other.

It is an amalgamation of elements, tightly interwoven with grace and dexterity, and it creates an unforgettable night of theatre that speaks to the artist in us all.

THE BARGAIN & THE BUTTERFLY
Through April 7, 2013
Artworks Theatre, 6569 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038
Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm; Sundays at 7:00 pm
Tickets: $25 general admission. www.ghostroad.org

Pictured above: Christel Joy Johnson (foreground) and Brian Weir (background). Photo credit: Patti McGuire.



RELATED STORIES - Los Angeles

1
AN EVENING WITH PATRICK STEWART Presented By The Wallis In Association With Film Independe Photo
AN EVENING WITH PATRICK STEWART Presented By The Wallis In Association With Film Independent, June 14

Film @ The Wallis in association with Film Independent Presents An Evening With…Patrick Stewart, featuring a conversation with the iconic actor about his life and remarkable career spanning nearly seven decades moderated by actor/director Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) on Wednesday, June 14, 2023, 7:30 pm, in The Wallis' Bram Goldsmith Theater.

2
Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle  Announces Officers And Members For 2023 Season Photo
Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle  Announces Officers And Members For 2023 Season

The 2023 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle has announced its current officers and members for the upcoming 2023 season. Founded in 1969, the Circle currently includes 21 critics covering productions across the Greater Los Angeles area.  

3
Photos: Open Fist Theatre Companys Joyous Revival Of STARMITES Opens This Weekend At Atwat Photo
Photos: Open Fist Theatre Company's Joyous Revival Of STARMITES Opens This Weekend At Atwater Village Theatre

Open Fist Theatre Company’s joyous revival of sci-fi musical adventure ‘Starmites’ opens this weekend at Atwater Village Theatre.. See photos from the production!

4
Photos: First Look at the World Premiere Of BACK PORCH At The Victory Theatre Photo
Photos: First Look at the World Premiere Of BACK PORCH At The Victory Theatre

Check out photos from the world premiere of “Back Porch”, a new comedy by Eric Anderson opening this weekend at The Victory Theatre Center in Burbank.

From This Author - Ellen Dostal

Ellen Dostal is currently the Senior Editor for BroadwayWorld/Los Angeles and a member of the prestigious Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle. She has covered the performing arts community, jazz, and cla... (read more about this author)

Videos


#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Celebration Theatre presents A New Brain
Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center (4/29-6/24)Tracker
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# For the Love of a Glove: An Unauthorized Musical Fable About Michael Jackson As Told By His Glove
Carl Sagan And Ann Druyan Theater (5/05-6/17)Tracker PHOTOS VIDEOS
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Gunhild Carling Big Band
Catalina Jazz Supper Club (6/14-6/14)Tracker VIDEOS
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Breakup Addict
The Zephyr (6/04-6/24)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Karma in a Fishbowl
The Madnani Theater (6/09-6/24)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Waking Up to All of Me
Zephyr Theatre (6/03-6/18)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# The Ants
Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater (6/20-7/30)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Ghosts Can't Pay Rent
The Actors Company - The Other Space Theatre (6/04-6/24)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# Getting There!
Hudson Guild Theatre (6/02-6/24)
#repshow# in #getregions.name[i]# MORNING'S AT SEVEN
Lonny Chapman Theatre (6/09-7/16)
VIEW ALL SHOWS  ADD A SHOW  

Recommended For You