Aficionados of Russian drama — and we know you’re out there — have an excellent opportunity to see a seldom-performed masterwork, “The Storm.” If the plot — redolent of time and rural Russia circa 1860 — seems familiar, that’s because the play, written by Alexander Ostrovsky (1823-1886), became the basis of Leos Janacek’s opera, “Katya Kabanova.” After viewing the play, operagoers might find themselves engaged in a lively discussion of the differences between the play and the opera and how the differences affect the drama. There are visible supernatural beings and other characters in the play that are absent in the opera. For these reasons alone the work is of interest, but beyond that it may be appreciated for its characteristic foreboding and sense of tragedy and for its poetic language of despair. Staged by Larissa Lury, a third-year MFA student, the play is acted for the most part by UC San Diego MFA actors. In addition, designers are MFA candidates in scenic, costume, lighting and sound disciplines. Gaeun Kim’s impressive scenic design incorporates a river effect and utilizes construction pallets and an oil drum. Costume designer Elisa Benzoni’s costumes are distressed to indicate proximity of the river, and Wen-Ling Liao’s lighting is most effective, even beyond the storm. Emily Jankowski Pezic’s original music is evocative of locale and era and her sound design is impressive. As for plot, the play follows Katya Kabanova (Ngozi Anyanwu), who is trapped in a loveless marriage to the ineffectual Tikhon (Maurice Williams). They live with his widowed, harridan mother, Marfa (Natalie Birriel) and her religious zealot of a mother, Feklusha (Regan Linton). The unhappy Katya is attracted to Boris (handsome Scott Patteson), nephew of a rich merchant with whom Marfa may be having an affair. Katya’s sister-in-law, Varvara (vivacious Sarah Halford), takes pity on Katya, and when Marfa sends Tikhon out of town on business, Varvara arranges an assignation, setting tragedy in motion. Others in the company are Carissa Cash, Louis Chavez, Chris Cortez, Alexandra Freeman, Matt MacNelly, Anna McMillan, Heather Ramey, Andres Ramacho, Maurice Williams and Ryutaro Yanagita. “The Storm” runs through Dec. 3, playing at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 27 and 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 1-3 at the Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Dr. Tickets are $20 general (discounts for seniors, students, faculty and alumni). For tickets or more information, visit www.theatre.ucsd.edu or call (858) 534-4574.
