Theatre Review: King Hedley II

Posted on April 10, 2024April 10, 2024 by Glamour

A Noise Within presents King Hedley II. Written by August Wilson. Directed by Gregg T. Daniel. Produced by Artistic Directors Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott. A Noise Within’s 2023-24 Season is presented by the S. Mark Taper Foundation.

Pittsburgh, 1985. King (Aaron Jennings) has been released from prison and is trying to provide for his mom Ruby (Veralyn Jones, Hamlet) and his wife Tonya (Kacie Rogers, Celestial Events, Arrowhead). Is America willing to give him a second chance? But he’s a Black man from a distressed neighborhood. And now with a criminal record, it might be too much to ask. Trying to survive, he pairs up with his friend Mister (Christian Henley) to sell refrigerators of dubious origin. With an entrepreneurial spirit and a little bit of luck, they plan to save up enough money to start a video store business. Great idea. Especially if the robbery goes as planned. But that’s not all, Tonya wants to abort King’s baby. And don’t forget Elmore (Ben Cain), a gambler with the swagger of a playboy, and a little secret.

August Wilson‘s piercing writing comes to life in Director Gregg T. Daniel‘s exhilarating version of King Hedley II. The play is a snapshot of the African American experience in Pittsburgh during the 80s, a time when the city lost more than 200,000 steel and manufacturing jobs. Wilson’s characters face the searing degradation of Pittsburgh’s quality of life. But they also symbolize the punishing discrimination endured by African Americans on a larger scale. King, in particular, reveals that he was convicted by an all-White jury that immediately perceived him as a threat, negatively affecting the outcome of his trial. As that status quo is still a contentious issue in America, Wilson’s writings continue to be relevant today. Still echoing. Still moving.

In a survival of the fittest atmosphere, King, Mister, and Elmore are forced to find ways to survive being Black, unemployed, and carrying the stigma of previous criminal convictions. Add to that a high unemployment rate and you have a pressure cooker situation ready to explode. However, Wilson leaves enough room for hope, not only in the symbols, such as the plant and King’s unborn baby, but also in the humor. The humor is as important in the play as much as the drama. It’s like music, made of sound and silence, creating a rhythm impossible to resist. The fantastic cast capture the cadence of the play, pulling the audience into their world; it’s an alluring and inspiring experience, cathartic and with a sense of urgency.

Jennings does a phenomenal job portraying the anger and frustrations of a whole generation of disenfranchised Black males facing an oppressive system. His performance is fierce, absorbing, a tour de force.

Gerald C. Rivers, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Trouble the Water, as Stool Pigeon, mesmerizes portraying the wise and prophetic neighbor. His language blends magically the Christian beliefs and the African spirituality of the Black community, displaying his skills as a Master West African Drummer.

The lighting is another critical element to convey the atmosphere and the psychological state of the characters. Lighting designer Brandon Baruch paints the feelings of the characters with yellow, brown, and red, an effective depiction of the urban decay and danger experienced during the 80s. Together with the striking scene design by Efren Delgadillo Jr., the production team delivers an outstanding setting to frame the grittiness of the story.

Another fascinating element is the music by sound designer Jeff Gardner. The music both as a transition and as a background reflects the tension of the subject matter; it’s gripping and sensual with a flair of film noir, bringing memories of the soundtracks of the TV series The Untouchables and the film Chinatown.

A Noise Within offers another valuable production, honoring one of the best playwrights of the 20th century. August Wilson’s King Hedley II is a powerful play that resonates loud and clear in today’s fragmented society. The six thespians deliver an electrifying poiesis that turns Wilson’s poetry into a memorable performance. It’s an excellent example of what happens when you put together a skilled director, a talented group of actors, and a remarkable script.

King Hedley II

A Noise Within
3352 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107

Performances April 6 – April 28
• Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.: April 11*; April 25 (dark April 18)
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: April 12^**; April 19^**; April 26^**
• Saturdays at 2 p.m.: April 13; April 20, April 27 (no matinee on April 6)
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: April 6 (Opening Night); April 13; April 20 (no 8 p.m. performance on April 27)
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: April 14^**; April 21, April 28

*The performance on Thursday, April 11 is “Black Out Night,” an opportunity for an audience self-identifying as Black to experience the performance together; tickets include a post-show reception; non-Black-identifying patrons are welcome to attend, or to select a different performance.
**Post-performance conversations with the artists take place every Friday (except the preview) and on Sunday, April 14

In addition to the above dates, four student matinees will take place on weekday mornings (April 10, April 17, April 18 and April 24) at 10:30 a.m. Interested educators should email education@anoisewithin.org.

Tickets: anoisewithin.org

Written by August Wilson. Directed by Gregg T. Daniel. Produced by Artistic Directors Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott. Cast: Ben Cain, Christian Henley, Aaron Jennings, Veralyn Jones, Gerald C. Rivers, Kacie Rogers.

Creative team: Scenic designer Efren Delgadillo Jr; lighting designer Brandon Baruch; sound designer Jeff Gardner; costume designer Mylette Nora; wig and makeup designer Shelia Dorn; properties designer Stephen Taylor; and dramaturg Dr. Miranda Johnson–Haddad. The production stage manager is Taylor Anne Cullen, with Arielle Hightower assisting. The producing sponsors are Dick and Sally Roberts.

Theatre Review: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Posted on October 18, 2023October 18, 2023 by Glamour

A Noise Within presents A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott. Produced by Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott.

In a Burtonesque style, A Noise Within delivers a fascinating production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, transporting the audience to a whimsical dream of fantasy, music, and magical powers. The dark mood used throughout the play adds to the mystic nature of the story and highlights the intriguing side of the characters.

The visuals achieved in this production demonstrate the technical abilities of the creatives involved. Frederica Nascimento (Scenic Designer) and Ken Booth (Lighting Designer) create a mysterious and dreamy atmosphere that brings out the carnivalesque attribute of the story. There are plenty of grays and blacks with splashes of yellows, reds, greens, and blues to convey the fantastical underworld of the fairies. To complement the visuals, costume designer Angela Balogh Calin; wig and makeup designer Tony Valdés; and properties designer Stephen Taylor all contribute to the overall mythical look of the enchanted fairyland.

The two quirky characters that have some of the funniest lines in the story are Puck and Bottom, played masterfully by Kasey Mahaffy and Frederick Stuart, respectively. The two thespians continue to shine in A Noise Within’s productions, delivering captivating and passionate performances consistently. Mahaffy is a natural playing the mischievous Puck, blending humor with oddity to the audience’s delight. Stuart does the same with his character of Bottom, always eccentric, always overdramatic.

Also gleaming on stage are the four lovers: Jeanne Syquia as Helena, Rafael Goldstein as Demetrius, Erika Soto as Hermia, and Riley Shanahan as Lysander, all of them contribute a great deal of humor to the play with their dialogue and physical comedy. Likewise, Zach Kenney and Trisha Miller show off their subliminal histrionic skills. They double up as Theseus and Hippolyta and Oberon and Titania, manifesting A Noise Within’s commitment to bring the best performers for their classical theatre productions.

Directors Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott show their tasteful creativity by giving a distinctive Gothic and German Expressionism style to their rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The monumentalism of the opening scene with the big gray wall and the black costumes is a striking and very different take on Shakespeare’s play. Metropolis and Blade Runner 2049 come to mind when observing the brutalist, dark, and contrasting features of the scenic and lighting design. The dimensions of the stage and the seating arrangement contribute to make it an immersive experience. Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy theatre at its best. Allow yourself to unplug from reality and fall into a deep dream of kings, queens, and fairies. It’s a magical journey to the underworld, in a land far, far away.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

A Noise Within
3352 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107

Performances Oct. 14 – Nov. 12

Tickets and schedule: anoisewithin.org

Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott. Starring Greta Donnelly, Rafael Goldstein, Rachel Han, Zach Kenney, Kasey Mahaffy, Ed F. Martin, Trisha Miller, Hakop Mkhsian, Alex Morris, Brendan Mulligan, Cassandra Marie Murphy, Riley Shanahan, Lauren Sosa, Erika Soto, Frederick Stuart, Jeanne Syquia, Erick Valenzuela. Presented by A Noise Within, Geoff Elliot and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, producing artistic directors. Creative Team: Scenic designer Frederica Nascimento; lighting designer Ken Booth; composer and sound designer Robert Oriol; costume designer Angela Balogh Calin; wig and makeup designer Tony Valdés; properties designer Stephen Taylor; and dramaturg Dr. Miranda Johnson–Haddad. The production stage manager is Angela Sonner, with Talya Camras assisting.

Theatre Review: The Book of Will

Posted on May 25, 2023May 25, 2023 by Glamour

A Noise Within presents The Book of Will. Written by Lauren Gunderson. Directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott. The Producing Sponsors are Terri Murray and Patricia Hoppe.

It is incredible to think that the literary legacy of William Shakespeare could’ve been lost if it hadn’t been for the dedication of the playwright’s closest friends and associates. Two fellow actors and members of Shakespeare’s theatrical company the King’s Men, Henry Condell (Jeremy Rabb, Animal Farm) and John Heminges (Geoff Elliott Animal Farm, Metamorphoses), worked tirelessly to put together Shakespeare’s collection of plays and poetry in a high-end format known as a folio, a broadsheet folded once to make serious tomes or luxury books. Previously, most of Shakespeare’s plays were printed in quartos, a smaller and cheaper format.

According to Professor Linda Woodbridge, up to 90% of plays written in Shakespeare’s days didn’t survive, they just perished without trace. Many of those plays were performed, but never printed. Thus, the importance of ensuring Shakespeare’s legacy by printing the First Folio, a cultural capital for the subsequent generations to enjoy.

The First Folio contains 36 of Shakespeare’s plays and some short poems. Even though all of the details of the whole process to get the folio done are not fully known, Lauren Gunderson imagines what it was like to undertake such an expensive and arduous task. In the play, a jealous Ben Johnson (played on Friday by an extraordinary Alex Morris) finally agrees to write two poems in the Folio’s preface to honor Shakespeare’s talent. Money, of course, was a factor to make it almost impossible to publish the book. Throughout the process, Elizabeth (Trisha Miller, Metamorphoses, Animal Farm) Alice, (Nicole Javier, Metamorphoses, Animal Farm), and Rebecca (Deborah Strang, Animal Farm) encourage Condell and Heminges to keep going when everything seems lost.

The characters of Condell, Heminges, and Richard Burbage (Frederick Stuart, Much Ado About Nothing) reference Shakespeare’s phrases in many of their conversations, a sign of their deep admiration for the playwright’s witty poetry and the close relationship they all enjoyed as fellow actors. To make the story even more appealing, the secondary character Ralph Crane (a fascinating Kasey Mahaffy, Metamorphoses) delivers outstanding comedy to the play to keep things amusing as the Folio starts to take shape.

The set design and lighting are stunning. Scenic designer Frederica Nascimento and lighting designer Ken Booth play with soft, directional, and natural colors and textures that add an emotional atmosphere to the ample stage, and in the case of the props, give co-Directors Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott plenty of space to have the actors move around the stage freely.

The Book of Will is a celebration of one of the greatest writers of all time, the Swan of Avon, William Shakespeare. And just like Shakespeare’s plays, putting together the Folio becomes an experience of loss, dedication, and a sacrificial love for such a noble expression called theatre. The survival King’s Men understand that although a performance is a sizzling and titillating experience, it is ephemeral by nature. A book, on the other hand, can transcend centuries and generations.

The Book of Will

A Noise Within
3352 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107

Performances May 13–June 7
• Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.: May 25; June 1 (dark May 18)
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: May 26**; June 2**
• Saturdays at 2 p.m.: May 27; June 3
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: May 13 (Opening Night); May 20; May 27; June 3
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: May 28; June 4
**Post-performance conversations with the artists every Friday (except the preview) and on Sunday, May 21 (included in ticket price).

An INsiders Discussion Group will be held on Tuesday, May 16, from 6 p.m.–8 p.m. on Zoom ($38 per individual or $45 per household).

There will be three student matinees at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 16; Wednesday, May 17; and Thursday, May 18. Interested educators should email education@anoisewithin.org.

Tickets: www.anoisewithin.org

Written by Lauren Gunderson. Directed by Julia Rodriguez-Elliott and Geoff Elliott. Starring Geoff Elliott, Stanley Andrew Jackson, Nicole Javier, Kasey Mahaffy, Trisha Miller, Kelvin Morales, Alex Morris, Jeremy Rabb, Deborah Strang, and Frederick Stuart. Producing Sponsors Terri Murray and Patricia Hoppe. Sponsored by Kathy and Jim Drummy. Presented by A Noise Within, Geoff Elliot and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, producing artistic directors. Creative team: Scenic designer Frederica Nascimento; lighting designer Ken Booth; sound designer Robert Oriol; video designer Nicholas Santiago; costume designer Angela Balogh Calin; wig and make up designer Shelia Dorn; dialect coach Andrea Odinov; and dramaturg Miranda Johnson-Haddad. The rehearsal stage manager is Deena Tovar.

Theatre Review: Kiss of the Spider Woman

Posted on April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 by Glamour

A Noise Within presents the adaptation of Kiss of the Spider Woman. Written by Manuel Puig. Translated by Allan Baker. Directed by Michael Michetti.

Whether in Lecumberri or Villa Devoto prison, the real people that suffered the state racism by the dictatorships in Latin America are well represented in Kiss of the Spider Woman.

Molina (Ed F. Martin), a gay man accused of corruption of minors, shares a prison cell with Valentin (Adrián González), a Marxist political prisoner. Molina spends the time retelling film noir classics and impersonating their female protagonists. Despite his machismo, Valentin listens to Molina attentively.

Set during the height of Argentina’s military regime, Molina and Valentin are symbols of duality, oppression/liberation, masculine/feminine, public/intimate. They challenge the state’s intention to own and control people’s minds and bodies through intimidation. During the play, we hear background noises of torture. Outside, the brutality of the Argentinian repressive regime. Inside, the freedom to dream and live new experiences.

Valentin changes throughout the story, from a world of ideals to change the world to the cruel reality of life in a prison cell, torture and depression included. As Valentin starts to loose hope under those circumstances of extreme desolation, raw emotions bring his defense barriers down, exposing his deepest fears: The fear to fail, the fear to die, the fear to love. Once liberated, Molina becomes the protagonist, in real life, of one of the heroines of his movies, an ultimate expression of sacrificial love.

Martin and González are extraordinary in portraying the frustrations and hopes of a whole generation that the characters represent. They bring to the stage rich and complex textures of psychological and emotional endurance and transformations, taking the audience to uncharted territories with humor, wit, and sensuality. Director Michael Michetti shows his brilliant directorial skills using a simple but effective scenic and lighting design (scenic designer Tesshi Nakagawa; lighting designer Jared A. Sayeg), allowing the dialogue to drive most of the play. A voice-over is used for the additional characters and to relate Molina and Valentin’s fate.

The last scene in the play is a poetic picture. As Molina walks away to his freedom, the walls of the prison cell start to drift away from Valentin, who stays behind, alone. It is the beginning of a painful physical separation, but the seal of an everlasting spiritual connection.

Kiss of the Spider Woman

A Noise Within
3352 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107

Performances April 1–April 23
• Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.: April 6, April 13; April 20
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: April 7**, April 14**; April 21**
• Saturdays at 2 p.m.: April 8, April 15; April 22 (no matinee on April 1)
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: April 1 (Opening Night); April 8***, April 15; April 22
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: April 2; April 9**, April 16; April 23

**Post-performance conversations with the artists every Friday and on Sunday, April 9.
***Join the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles for a performance of pieces inspired by Kiss of the Spider Woman before the 8 p.m. show on Saturday, April 8.
An INsiders Discussion Group will be held on Tuesday, April 18, from 6 p.m.–8 p.m. on Zoom ($38 per individual or $45 per household).
There will be one student matinee at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 19. Interested educators should email education@anoisewithin.org.

Tickets: www.anoisewithin.org

Adult content: recommended for mature audiences ages 18 and up.

Adapted for the stage by Manuel Puig from his novel “El beso de la mujer araña”. Translated from the Spanish by Allan Baker. Directed by Michael Michetti. Starring Adrián González and Ed F. Martin. Presented by A Noise Within, Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, producing artistic directors.

Creative team: The A Noise Within production will feature an original, tango-inspired score by composer Alex Mansour. Scenic designer Tesshi Nakagawa; lighting designer Jared A. Sayeg; sound designer Robert Oriol; costume designer Carolyn Mazuca; properties designer Stephen Taylor; dramaturg Dr. Miranda Johnson–Haddad; intimacy director Carly DW Bones; and casting director Victoria Hoffman. The assistant stage manager is Karin Naono, and the production stage manager is Lucy Houlihan.

A scene from Kiss of the Spider Woman — Kiss of the Spider Woman. Ed F. Martin and Adrián González. Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Theatre Review: Much Ado About Nothing

Posted on February 17, 2023February 17, 2023 by Glamour

A Noise Within presents Much Ado About Nothing. Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos.

Much Ado About Nothing is an English Renaissance comedy by the Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare. It was written in 1598, ten years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada and one year before the construction of the Globe Theatre.

This version of the play takes place in the same region mentioned in Shakespeare’s original play, the city of Messina in Sicily, but set during WWII after the island’s liberation from the fascists by the US troops. This is a brilliant detail to make this story more relatable. Director Guillermo Cienfuegos, The Beautiful People, even allowed the actors to keep the diversity of their Queens, Texas, and Appalachia accents to better connect with the American audience.

The play has two stories about two couples, Claudio (Stanley Andrew Jackson, Animal Farm) and Hero (Alexandra Hellquist, On The Other Hand, We’re Happy), and the story of Benedick (Joshua Bitton) and Beatrice (Erika Soto, Metamorphoses).

A victorious army commander, Don “The Prince” Pedro (Frederick Stuart) is received by Leonato (Tony Pasqualini, A Great Wilderness), Governor of Messina. Don Pedro brings along two of his soldier friends, Claudio and Benedick. Claudio immediately falls in love with Leonato’s daughter, Hero. Meanwhile, Benedick, a bit loud and a bit arrogant, is disliked by Beatrice, Leonato’s niece. In the background, we see John (Rafael Goldstein, Metamorphoses, Animal Farm), Don Pedro’s half-brother, with a disengaged look. With this scene alone, Cienfuegos shows most of the exposition and the character’s conflicts—the love, the tension, and the resentment.

As the story goes, Claudio is trying to marry Hero, while Benedick and Beatrice continue with their verbal jousts despite being deeply in love with each other. The roadblock for Claudio and Hero’s happiness is John’s jealousy and dark disposition. With help from Borachio (Michael Uribes, Detained, Three Tables), John will devise a ploy to stain Hero’s reputation. For Benedick and Beatrice, the impediment is their pride and their fear to vulnerability. However, Don Pedro, Claudio, and Leonato come up with a plan to make Benedick declare his love for Beatrice. Likewise, Hero and her two servants, Margaret (Jeanne Syquia, Hamlet) and Ursula (Nick Petroccione) prepare their own scheme to trick Beatrice into opening up her heart to Benedick.

This production is so impressive that even the secondary characters are delightfully comedic. Dogberry (Wesley Mann), Verges (Rafael Goldstein), and the other two watchmen (Alejandro Hernandez) and (Arely Vianet) contribute memorable dialogue and physical comedy.

A director worth his salt pays careful attention to all of the moving parts of a play. Cienfuegos does it like no other. He curated the elements of Shakespeare’s dramatic structure in a playful and entertaining way scene after scene. Claudio’s rejection of Hero, the transition from dislike to love between Benedick and Beatrice, and the resolution are all cleverly displayed with powerful acting and creative staging to generate an impressive production in only five weeks.

The selection of the technical aspects are worth noting. Lighting Designer Ken Booth, Metamorphoses, Animal Farm, paints the stage with amazing hues and intensities that are a pleasure to watch. The scene where Hero is posing as a sculpture surrounds the stage with a special mysticism, something of a religious experience. The WWII costumes (Christine Cover Ferro, Costume Designer), the beautiful set (Angela Balogh Calin, Scenic Designer, Animal Farm), and the amazing music by the very active and experienced Chris Moscatiello, Sound Designer, Salvage, This Wonderful Life, On The Other Hand, We’re Happy, Wakings!, The Beautiful People, A Great Wilderness, Fam And Yam and The Dumb Waiter) add an exquisite sensory experience to this production. The music includes a tarantella, swing, and 40s hits to give a nostalgic and innovative feel to this updated version.

Erika Soto is a tour de force, delivering a masterpiece of a performance to embody the witty and independent Beatrice. Soto’s convincing stage presence is ideal to portray a woman who has a mind of her own and defies the expectations placed upon women in Elizabethan society. In addition, Soto and Bitton’s chemistry create an irresistible romanticism that energizes the reinvention of a classic love story.

Endearing, playful, and romantic, Cienfuego’s take on Much Ado About Nothing is a gratifying theatre experience not to be missed.

Much Ado About Nothing

A Noise Within
3352 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107

Performances February 11–March 12
• Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.: March 9 ONLY
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: Feb. 17**; Feb. 24**; March 3**; March 10**
• Saturdays at 2 p.m.: Feb. 18; Feb. 25; March 4; March 11
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Feb. 11 (Opening Night); Feb. 18; Feb. 25; March 4; March 11
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: Feb. 19**; Feb. 26; March 5; March 12

Tickets: anoisewithin.org

Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos. Starring Joshua Bitton, Rafael Goldstein, Alexandra Hellquist, Alejandro Hernandez, Stanley Andrew Jackson III, Wes Mann, Tony Pasqualini, Nick Petroccione, Erika Soto, Fredrick Stuart, Jeanne Syquia, Randy Thompson, Michael Uribes, and Arely Vianet. Presented by A Noise Within, Geoff Elliot and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, producing artistic directors.

The creative team includes scenic designer Angela Balogh Calin; lighting designer Ken Booth; composer and sound designer Christopher Moscatiello; costume designer Christine Cover Ferro; wig and make up designer Tony Valdés; properties designer Stephen Taylor; choreographer Joyce Guy; text coach Susan Wilder; and dramaturg Miranda Johnson-Haddad. The production stage manager is Chloe Willey.

Theatre Review: Animal Farm

Posted on September 8, 2022September 8, 2022 by Glamour

A Noise Within presents Peter Hall’s musical adaptation of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Music by Richard Peaslee and lyrics by Adrian Mitchell. Directed by Julia Rodriguez–Elliott.

George Orwell was a leftist who participated in the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, joining the POUM (Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista), one of the factions supporting the Republican government. The influence of Stalin on the Republicans in Spain lead Orwell to write against the deceiving and repressive regime of Stalin. Animal Farm is an allegoric play where characters and different sectors of the Soviet Union are represented.

The story pierces the power veil and allows us to see the formation of a political class that not only controlled the lives of millions within the Soviet Union but also the lives of many more around the world.

The animals are neglected by Mr. Jones (Bert Emmett), the owner of the farm, so the animals start a revolt to take control and improve their living conditions. Once Mr. Jones is gone, the animals make plans to change things for the better. However, as time goes by, the pigs seize all the power. The pigs are Squealer (Trisha Miller), Minimus (Cassandra Marie Murphy), Old Major (Geoff Elliott), Snowball (Stanley Andrew Jackson), and their leader Napoleon (Rafael Goldstein). The pigs are the ones who eat well, learn how to write and read, and give the orders. The animals who do all the hard work are Boxer (Geoff Elliott) the workhorse, Clover (Deborah Strang) the carthorse, Benjamin (Jeremy Rabb) the donkey, and Muriel (Philicia Saunders) the goat. The rest of the animals are Mollie (Nicole Javier) a vain horse, the lazy Cat (Sedale Threatt Jr.), Moses (Cassandra Marie Murphy) a raven who likes to talk but doesn’t work, and the Puppy Dogs (Cassandra Marie Murphy and Nicole Javier) trained by Napoleon to become ruthless killing machines. Mr. Pilkington (Sedale Threatt Jr.) is a local gentleman farmer.

Even though the pig Old Major wants to establish a fair system where all the animals are equal, Napoleon changes the words of some of the 7 commandments to fit his personal gains. He changes one of the commandments from “All animals are equal” to “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” At the beginning, there are debates to talk about projects and common goals and all animals participate. In these meetings, the two leaders, Napoleon and Snowball, soon start to disagree on major ideas. As Napoleon starts to gather more power, Snowball is pushed to the side and he mysteriously disappears.

Meanwhile, the rest of the animals are forced to work harder to build a windmill with the promise that the project will bring prosperity to all. Napoleon however, doesn’t keep his word; the windmill takes longer to complete and is eventually destroyed by a neighboring farmer. As all of this is happening, the animals are overworked, hungry, and unable to complaint. Napoleon dissolves the debates with the excuse that they are no longer needed since everyone needs to trust his leadership. The pigs start to arrest, incriminate, and execute the dissenting animals. Eventually, the initial happiness gives way to pessimism, passiveness, duplicity, and hopelessness. The beloved old Boxer, despite all the misery of the working animals, decides to keep his loyalty to Napoleon, hoping to see better days ahead. “Napoleon is always right” and “I will work harder” were two phrases he kept on saying again and again.

Since the play is an allegory, the characters represent some of the most influential characters in modern history. After the death of Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin become the leader of the Soviet Union. Napoleon is a representation of this repressive leader. Boxer the workhorse represents the working class, the ones that get indoctrinated with false promises of a better life. Clover the carthorse is the feminine side of the working class. Mollie the horse is the bourgeoisie class. Moses, the raven who talks about the “Sugarcandy Mountain” where all animals go when they die, depicts the Russian Orthodox Church. The Puppies/Dogs represent Stalin’s secret police.

Snowball, the boar that was a part of the pigs leaders, is a character representing Leon Trotsky. As with Napoleon in Animal Farm, there was a power struggle and only one was going to prevail. In Animal Farm, Snowball was chased out of the farm by Napoleon’s dogs. In real life, Trotsky was banned from the Soviet Union by Stalin. After living as an uncomfortable guest in Turkey, France, and Norway, Trotsky finally settled down in Mexico in 1937 in the house of painters Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. But Stalin wanted him dead. On May 24th, 1940, leftist muralist David Alfaro Siqueiros (who, like Orwell, fought with the Republicans in Spain) and a group of men carried out an attack on Trotsky’s residence using automatic firearms. Trotsky and his wife hid and survived, but the message was clear: his days were counted. On August 20th, 1940, Trotsky was attacked with an ice axe by Ramón Mercader, a Spanish agent working for Stalin’s NKVD forces (this secret forces personified by the Puppies/Dogs in the play). Trotsky suffered a brain injury and died the following day. Stalin’s goal was finally achieved.

Two important aspects portrayed in the play are the accumulation of wealth by the ruling party by controlling the means of production and the indoctrination of the masses to have them under control. Nobel laureate Octavio Paz said in an interview in 1977: “The greatest criminal in the 20th century is the state, specially in those countries where the state owns the means of production and the ideology, and by owning the means of production and the ideology, the state owns the work product and the souls.”

The portrayal of a turbulent period that happened decades ago somehow feels contemporaneous. The tactics seem to be the same. Authoritarian regimes control the flow of information using media, religion, and access to education. It is much easier to control an uneducated population than an educated one. In the play, Squealer is used to instill in the uneducated animals the idea that their lives are much better under Napoleon’s leadership, even if they are overworked and hungry.

As for the actors, Geoff Elliot offers a tremendous performance doubling up as the idealistic Old Major and the hopeful Boxer that is willing to sacrifice his well-being to keep a dream alive, but ultimately succumbing to his tragic fate. Rafael Goldstein stands out as the cold and calculating leader that manipulates the people around him for his own benefit. Trisha Miller and Cassandra Marie Murphy deliver a phenomenal depiction of the heartless enforcers and supporters of the new authoritarian regime. Jeremy Rabb offers a compelling personification of a devastating transition from a funny character to a pessimist and passive observer of the corruption around him.

The dystopian costumes, wigs, make up, and masks (Angela Balogh Calin, scenic and costume designer, Tony Valdés, wig and make up designer, Dillon Nelson, mask artisan) contribute to give each character their unique personality. They also highlight the sinister change of status of the pigs from farm animals to despotic leaders in military uniforms. The lighting effects (Ken Booth, lighting designer) are a powerful component. The colors and the intensities play very well with the scenic design, the music numbers, and the tense story itself. Rodriguez-Elliot delivers an impressive production with plenty of kinetics that make great use of the stage, including the actors coming in and out of the aisles. Her directorial skills are a testament of the excellence in theatre in Los Angeles.

How easy it is to go from freedom to tyranny? Animal Farm exposes the fragility of political systems and the dangers associated with government transitions, even when the leaders of the change promise the moon and the stars. Change after all, can be deceiving. As Tancredi Falconeri stated in the Italian novel Il Gattopardo “If we want everything to stay as it is, everything has to change”.

Animal Farm

Adapted for the stage by Peter Hall from the novel by George Orwell. Music by Richard Peaslee. Lyrics by Adrian Mitchell. Directed by Julia Rodriguez–Elliott. Musical Direction by Rod Bagheri. Starring Geoff Elliott, Bert Emmett, Rafael Goldstein, Stanley Andrew Jackson III, Nicole Javier, Trisha Miller, Cassandra Marie Murphy, Jeremy Rabb, Philicia Saunders, Deborah Strang, Sedale Threatt Jr. Presented by A Noise Within, Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, producing artistic directors.

A Noise Within
3352 E Foothill Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91107

Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.: Sept. 29 ONLY
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: Sept. 9**, Sept. 16**, Sept. 23**, Sept. 30
• Saturdays at 2 p.m.: Sept. 10, Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1 (no matinee on Sept. 3)
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Sept. 3 (Opening Night), Sept. 10, Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: Sept. 4, Sept. 11**, Sept. 18, Sept. 25, Oct. 2
*Pre-performance symposium with noted scholar at 6:45 p.m. prior to the preview on August 31 (included in ticket price)
**Post-performance conversations with the artists on Fridays, Sept. 9; Sept.16; Sept. 23; and Sept. 30, and on Sunday, Sept. 11 (included in ticket price)

An INsiders Discussion Group will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 13, from 6 p.m.–8 p.m. on Zoom ($38 per individual or $45 per household).

There will be 10 student matinees at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6; Wednesday, Sept. 7; Tuesday, Sept. 13; Wednesday, Sept. 14; Thursday, Sept. 15; Tuesday, Sept. 20; Wednesday, Sept. 21; Thursday, Sept. 22; Tuesday, Sept. 27; and Wednesday, Sept. 28. Interested educators should email education@anoisewithin.org.