The Triangle

Issue date: 4/24/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Kara Khan

WOW! Please walk through the door. Please buy the ticket and get inside the Mandell Theater. The theater's transformation is like walking out of the wardrobe straight into Narnia.

For its spring production, the Drexel theater department's collaboration with EgoPo, Orchestra 2001 and a really good set designer brought 160 trees, 106 costumes and 26 actors to Mandell. The small forest, complete with shrubbery, was transported from the Pocanoes and it serenely encompassed the audience that only sits in the middle section. In short, the Mandell is enchanting.

"I wanted to do this play for more than a decade," Lane Savadove, EgoPo director, said. Savadove brainstormed with designer Dan Soule to create a visually lush production.

He emphasized "Bluebird's" high caliber and said, "A lot of theater people know this play, but have never seen it because it is so hard to produce."

Combining three different performing groups in one production, "Bluebird" does seem to be a large undertaking.

"Bluebird" is a six-scene fairy tale, which houses intense adult themes. A nine-year-old boy experiences the passing of his twin sister and doesn't want to let her go. He dreams of her coming alive and his fantasies summon a fairy that sends him on a quest. The boy is to find the bluebird that symbolizes his destiny. To aid him, the fairy gives him a diamond that allows him to see into the souls of inanimate objects. Using this diamond, the boy awakens the souls of a dog, a cat, cake, sugar, fire, water, milk and light, and sets off on a warrior's journey to find spiritual enlightenment.

On his journey, the young boy learns he must let his sister die in order to save her, a rather grim lesson for both adults and children. Using a point of view from a young, innocent boy and the augmented role of everyday objects such as milk and cake, the theme of "Bluebird" becomes more prominent. In order to find your destiny, in order to find your Bluebird, one must recognize the importance of joy in life's entire fabric. If one finds the joy in everyday life, one's destiny, or bluebird, will become clear.

A demanding and impressive piece of work, "Bluebird" was originally written in French by Maurice Maeterlinck in 1908. In 1911, however, its popularity encouraged its translation into English. Since then, it has never been re-translated.

Inquiring as to what makes his version so unique, Savadove said he "found some of the deeper mystical themes that had been buried and brought them to the surface," which makes for a more riveting performance. Learning to let go of a passed close one is a rather dark concept to build a plot upon. However, Savadove thinks this is one of the vantage points of the scheme.

"I believe that children are as fascinated by their nightmare as they are by their dreams. To them they are both joyful and entertained equally. Therefore, I let the play be as dark and mysterious as it intended it to be," he said.

Proving to be dynamic and touching, the Mandell Theater's "Bluebird" becomes more fascinating with the addition of Orchestra 2001. A pianist, violinist and a soprano arrive to accompany the performance with the work of George Crumb, one of the most famous modern composers in the world.

"To play his work, one must be a specialist," Savadove said unabashedly.

In addition, the performance becomes more unique as its cast is and ensemble of professional actors and students.

"Bluebird" is open to the public and runs until May 10. Tickets are $5 for Drexel students and $28 for the general public.

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