A bust of Goethe in New York’s Bryant Park inspired Noah Haidle to pen his new play. The sculpture forced Haidle to consider the life of an eternal observer. A statue’s fate seemed a sad one indeed.
And so he wrote Persephone, the story of a sentient statue with a penchant for philosophy. Like her namesake, a Greek goddess who yearned for her lost daughter, Demeter is doomed to suffer. While under construction, she (Melinda Lopez) vies vainly with a model for her Renaissance sculptor’s affections. Five hundred years and one act later, the pain continues, as she is a constant unwitting witness to mankind’s depravity.
Set designer David Korins constructs Act One’s Florentine studio so well, you’ll swear it’s part of the theatre’s natural architecture till it vanishes after the intermission. Half-finished artwork and sculpturing tools fill the scene, perfecting the authenticity. The second act’s New York park is another success, with its convincing botanical backdrop hiding surprises to come.
The lighting design is the production’s other great strength. The passage of time during the day is a major plot point in both acts, and Ben Stanton’s lighting conveys the sun’s movement flawlessly.
The play’s script, however, lacks its technical aspects’ consistent quality. Interaction between artist Giuseppe (Seth Fisher, of Broadway) and model Celia (Mimi Lieber) provides solid comedy during Act One, and Demeter, whose voice neither hears, smashes the fourth wall with entertaining commentary. But Act Two, which Haidle wrote first, has no single conflict, just a series of jarring mini-scenes featuring the many characters only three actors play. “How much can a person bear?” wails Demeter, challenging our tolerance of the escalating atrocities Persephone stages.
There’s a message here of course — cruelty is bad! Aspiration is good! — but it’s too repetitive and obvious to impress. Lopez, who replaced another actress just four days before opening night, helps little. She’s an emotive orator, but her reliance on an off-stage prompter and a printed script (especially when her character lacks arms) mangles the narrative.
Persephone is playing at the Huntington’s Wimberly Theatre through May 6th. Tickets are $50. $15 rush tickets are available to students at the Calderwood Pavilion Box Office up to two hours before show time.