Ensemble’s ANIMALS
OUT OF PAPER, a challenging look at how the folds affect life
Cleveland has several young and dynamic playwrights who are
making a name for themselves on the national scene. Eric Coble’s BRIGHT IDEAS had an off-Broadway presentation,
after its Cleveland Play House run.
His THE VELOCITY OF AUTUMN, which had a staging at Beck Center, and
starred Dorothy Silver, is readying for a Broadway production which will star
Estelle Parsons.
Cleveland Heights native Rajiv Joseph,
has been labeled “one of today’s most acclaimed young playwrights,” has the
awards to back up the claim. He’s
received the Paula Vogel Award for Most Acclaimed Young Playwrights, the Lucille
Lortel Award for Outstanding Play of 2009, and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist
for Drama for BENGAL TIGER AT THE BAGHDAD ZOO, which had a Broadway run and
starred Robin Williams.
Joseph, who has a "fascination with the power of
language,” uses that language to probe “the origins of human artistic impulse
and ask what they mean
for those enslaved to it.”
ANIMALS OUT OF PAPER is in production at Ensemble Theatre, which
seems to act as Joseph’s home theatre.
The company, headed by long time Joseph friend, Celeste Cosentino, has
done one of his plays in each of its last three seasons.
ANIMALS OUT OF PAPER centers on an unlikely trio of people. Ilana, a world renowned origami
artist, has perfected the Japanese
art of folding paper into decorative and representational forms, to the extent
that she has written the second best selling book on the subject. Andy is a math teacher, and Suresh, a
troubled youth whose mother was recently killed in an accident.
Ilana has barricaded herself in her littered studio surrounded by
origami creations, Chinese take-out boxes, and piles of unused paper. She has not only lost her
husband, but her three-legged dog has run off, and her will to fold has
disappeared. Her life is much like
the crumpled papers that litter the floor.
Andy is a nerdy math teacher who has an artistic and physical crush
on Ilana, as a result of meeting her at a national origami convention where he
was a student in one of her seminars.
He writes of this obsession and views of life in a notebook. He journals because he once opened a
fortune cookie, which told him to “count your blessings.” He comes to Ilana’s loft, not only to
meet her in person, but to sell her on mentoring Suresh, one of his students
who shows a natural talent for origami, as his mentor.
Suresh, in contrast to Ilana, and other well known origami artists,
doesn’t sketch out his work to decide on the order of each fold. Instead, he works by instinct. He perceives that actions, rather than
developing a step-by-step plan, is the way to create. His inspiration is the rap music he listens to in his
ever-plugged in headphones. He is
in conflict as his life requires order, which has eluded him, while his
origami, which should be based on set patterns, doesn’t follow orderliness.
The plot deepens when Andy and Ilana entangle their lives, and
Suresh develops a fascination for Ilana. Each probes for how they can exist in the world. Recognizing, to some extent that, “So
much of what I am is what I’ve lost.”
Ensemble’s production, under the directorship of Celeste Cosentino,
creates the play’s essence, but fails to dig deeply enough into the characters
and their motivations to give full meaning to Joseph’s well crafted script.
Katherine DeBoer creates an Ilana into a real person, complete with
outward and hidden angst.
Geoff Knox is properly anxiety filled. There are times when he falls back on a geeky speech pattern
which somewhat distracts.
Andrew Samtoy, generally displays his inner conflict. In several scenes, such as when he is
creating rap songs, he fails to let lose and capture the meaning of the words.
Ian Hinz’s projection designs are excellent. Using visual images, rather than real
sets, helps develop the artistic nature of the work.
The many intricate origami creations used in the production
were supplied by The Public Theatre in Maine.
CAPSULE
JUDGEMENT: ANIMALS OUT OF PAPER is an often amusing,
thought provoking play about what happens when the lives of mismatched people
collide in complicated ways that highlight hurt and the challenges of individuals who don’t know who they
are or how to be in the world. The Ensemble production doesn’t quite reach the
quality of the play’s writing, but does hold attention and leaves the audience
thinking.
ANIMALS OUT OF PAPER runs Thursdays through Sundays through
October 20 at Ensemble Theatre, housed in Coventry School, 2843 Washington
Blvd, Cleveland Heights. For
tickets call 216-321-2930 or go online to http://www.ensemble-theatre.org
Of special interest:
Ensemble will be having a benefit performance on the October 4th,
with a post show talkback with the director and the cast as well as a wine and
desert reception which will be catered by Rajiv's uncle DAVID GAUCHAT, a well known
pastry chef).
