Living & Arts

Frear features a modern retelling of ‘Pericles’

In print | March 26, 2009

With a motley crew of pirates, prostitutes, morally questionable royal figures, high priestesses, incestuous fathers and evil stepmothers all speaking in high-handed Shakespearan dialogue, “Pericles, Prince of Tyre” is a melodramatic and extravagant quest through the ancient cities and islands of a long-lost Mediterranean. A modern retelling of what is arguably one of Shakespeare’s most ambitious and expansive plays, the Theater Department’s production of “Pericles” descends upon the Frear Ensemble Theatre this weekend.

The play opens in the court of King Antiochus (Nat Sufrin ’11), who has offered the hand of his daughter in marriage to anyone who can solve a mysterious riddle; anyone who fails, however, risks immediate death. The young prince of Tyre, Pericles (Greg Patton ’10) solves the riddle and inadvertently discovers that Antiochus is engaged in an incestuous relationship with his daughter. Pericles cannot reveal this truth to the royal court; he flees the city to embark on a grand voyage across the Mediterranean and endeavors to reconnect with his wife Thaisa (Allison Morantis, Bryn Mawr ’11) and his daughter (Emily Letts, Haverford ’11).

“In typical Shakespearean fashion, the plot is pretty convoluted,” assistant stage manager Julia Cooper ’12 said. “I think [our retelling of Pericles] is more about exploring the different characters and personas of the Mediterranean cities and locations in the play. It’s meant to be a rich visual experience.”

Aside from the contemporary costume design, the most markedly modern characteristic of this Pericles retelling is that the setting acts as a simple framing device. This is not a visually complex set piece with lots of detail, but rather a more experimental black box space in which the performance can unfold naturally. “[The setting] is quite makeshift, giving the impression that people are just coming into this open space to tell a story,” stage manager Harry Apostoleris ’12 said. “It’s sort of like guerrilla theatre, when actors just show up on the set and put on a show.” The Frear Ensemble Theatre was chosen for the production because it is small and intimate, which helps the audience feel more connected to the actors and to the overall performance.

The choice to perform with minimal set design provides an interesting contrast to the sprawling Mediterranean setting where “Pericles” supposedly takes place. But, if anything, the set’s sparseness is a testament to the artistic ability and flexibility of the actors. “[The actors] physically create the idea of these different locations — a shipwreck in the middle of the Mediterranean, and all the ancient cities of Tyre, Tarsus, Pentapolis, Ephesus, Antioch and Mytilene,” Cooper said. Even at the production’s first tech rehearsal of the show, dancers Chloe Noonan ’10, Sara Bricault ’11, Jen Crick ’11 and Erica Evans ’11 were able to effortlessly summon an atmosphere of playfulness and frivolity through an elaborate and somewhat provocative dance scene at a royal banquet hall, evoking the spirit of the city of Pentapolis.

Eva Amesse ’11, who plays the role of the Marshall, provided a good deal of the expressive choreography for this particular scene. “Basically, I announce the arrival of the knights who are vying for Thaisa’s affections and ensure that all of the guests are having a good time by providing the wine and the dance moves,” Amesse said.

“Pericles” is directed by guest artist Eleanor Holdridge with Christopher Compton ’09. It features original music by Christopher Colucci. Set and costume design is by Laila Swanson and sound design is by Louis Jargow ’10. “Pericles” is the honors lighting design project of Kim Comer ’09.
The Swarthmore College Department of Theater’s Production Ensemble will present “Pericles, Prince of Tyre” on Friday and Saturday, March 27 and 28 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 29 at 2 p.m. in the Frear Ensemble Theater of LPAC. All performances are free and open to the public.