Review: THE RIVER BRIDE at Omaha Community Playhouse Makes Magic

Omaha Community Playhouse has once again delivered up something new and different---a story built on Brazilian folklore. THE RIVER BRIDE running from August 15 through September 14 in the Howard Drew Theatre is one that leaves you thinking long after the doors to the theatre close.

Marisela Trevino Orta wraps her story of sisters Helena and Belmira and their family "as tightly as the Amazon curls around time." I like that sentiment. Much of this play sounds just as poetic. Mythology and reality hold hands, interweaving the lives of a fishing family. She draws her inspiration from stories such as Iara, a mermaid-like spirit who lures men into the river, or Boto, the Pink River Dolphin who transforms into a handsome man wearing a white suit and Panama hat to cover his blow hole, or tricksters Saci Perere and Curupira, who challenge their human targets.

This play is different from anything you’ve seen before.

Alex Rodriguez, former Artistic Director of OCP, guest directs this production, transforming the cast and set into a magical experience in one 90 minute act. There is not a lot of action. Words take the spotlight. But everything speaks. The color, the sound-- Everything melds together transporting us to another world.

The visual and auditory color provided by Scenic and Lighting Designer Nora Marlow Smith, Scenic Artist Janet Marr, Sound Designer John Gibilisco, and Composer and Guitarist Tanner Harrod is simply stunning. The set is a clever one room rustic cabin located on the banks of river. Laundry hangs from the line. A wooden pier extends from the cabin into the Amazon. The colors are exquisite. The light filtering from the foliage softens and intensifies, dramatically crescendoing to a powerful thunderstorm with flashes of lightning. A drum is accented cleverly by Sra Costa’s (Marina Rosado)snapping laundry in time to the beat. There are sounds of birds, insects, and lyrical guitar strains. It feels like an immersive attraction at Disney World.

Lindsay Pape’s costumes are lovely, complementing the set and inviting us into another culture. I loved the symbolism of the wedding dresses.

WIthin this magical environment are very human characteristics. Two sisters, Helena (Isabel Rangel) and Belmira (Lea Ramos) are opposites. Where Belmira is a taker, Helena is a giver. Belmira is outspoken and demanding. Helena is submissive and withdrawing. Belmira wants it all and is not afraid to take it. Helena is willing to give everything away out of love, or is it fear? Belmira is marrying Duarte (Francisco Franco). Helena is mourning her lost love.

Sr Costa (Jose Armando Hernandez) and Duarte go out fishing in their boat, a clever prop that moves about the “river” by foot power. They come across a man in the water and take him back to the Costas’ cabin. This mysterious man, Moises (David Munoz), is dressed all in white wearing a white hat and is clearly not from their area. The events that ensue between the sisters and this man draw heavily from the tale of Boto, the Pink River Dophin. There are twists to this tale.

This is an excellent ensemble who gives life to the script. I lost a bit of the conversation when backs were turned to the audience and voices were soft. But it was impossible to miss the love, the heartache, and the sense of loss shared. This is a show I would see twice, if only to absorb more of the beauty and to ponder choices made.

Tickets are available at the OCP box office or at www.ticketomaha.com. Shows are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. Lose yourself in the magic of the Amazon.