{"id":250474,"date":"2016-07-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-07-15T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/enigmatic-tiger-debuts-at-playhouse\/"},"modified":"2016-07-15T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2016-07-15T07:00:00","slug":"enigmatic-tiger-debuts-at-playhouse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/enigmatic-tiger-debuts-at-playhouse\/","title":{"rendered":"Enigmatic \u2018Tiger\u2019 debuts at Playhouse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Por Charlene Baldridge | Revisi\u00f3n de teatro<\/p>\n

Who are these people in Jeff Augustin\u2019s \u201cThe Last Tiger in Haiti,\u201d these young Haitians living in tentlike shelter in 2008?<\/p>\n

They are restaveks \u2013 child slaves who live out a sanctioned tradition in which poor families give children they cannot provide for to wealthier families, where they will have a better life until they\u2019re 18. Or at least, that is the hope.<\/p>\n

\"27968744855_89ce117eb2_owebtop\"<\/a>
Brittany Bellizeare and Andy Lucien in La Jolla Playhouse\u2019s world premiere (Photos by Jim Carmody)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This particular group comprises Rose (Brittany Bellizeare), 13, the youngest; Max (Andy Lucien), the eldest at 18; Emmanuel (Clinton Roane), Laurie (Jasmine St. Clair) and Joseph (Reggie D. White). Max, the de facto protector of the others, in particular Rose, plans to leave for the mountains early in the morning, the day after the end of kanavel, <\/em>the celebration that precedes Lent.<\/p>\n

In the first scene of the play, Max discovers that the money he\u2019s squirreled away and buried outside the shelter, likely to be used for his transition, has been stolen. Before bedtime, all gather to tell tall tales in a competitive game called Krik (Shall I tell a story?) Krak (Yes). One particularly disarming tale is punctuated by Jay Adana\u2019s charming original folksong, \u201cThe Orange Tree.\u201d The stories become more and more horrifying, until fear is palpable (and audible), and the demarcation between reality and fantasy is obliterated. Max leaves to investigate the threat and returns covered with blood. End Act I.<\/p>\n

\"Scene<\/a>
Scene from “The Last Tiger in Haiti”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Act II is set 16 years later in a palatial, ocean view condo in Miami. Rose, who learned her storytelling well, has written and published a best-selling book about the restavek experience, in which Max is the hero. At her request, Max visits her. Their exchange solves enigmas, but new doubts are created. Can storytellers ever be trusted to be truthful? And who gets to tell others\u2019 stories?<\/p>\n

The lavish La Jolla Playhouse world premiere moves on to co-producing Berkeley Repertory Theatre later this year. Despite its inscrutability, the play is beautifully acted and meticulously directed by Joshua Kahan Brody, currently in residence at the Playhouse with a Princess Grace Award fellowship.<\/p>\n

\"(l-r)<\/a>
(l-r) Clinton Roane, Andy Lucien, Reggie D. White, Jasmine St. Clair and Brittany Bellizeare in La Jolla Playhouse\u2019s world premiere (Photo by Jim Carmody)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Augustin and Brody are alumni of UC San Diego\u2019s MFA program in theater, and \u201cThe Last Tiger\u201d was in part developed in La Jolla Playhouse\u2019s DNA New Work Series. Artistic Director Christopher Ashley apparently was so moved by the piece that he programmed it in this season.<\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/a>As is common in the Mandell Weiss Forum, dialogue \u2013 even as delivered by an experienced company \u2013 tends to waft away into the wings and upper reaches of the venue. Coupled with French-tinged Haitian accents, the acoustics decreased comprehension of the text and prevented deeper understanding, involvement and appreciation.<\/p>\n

There is much to admire in Takeshi Kata\u2019s contrasting scenic designs. Costume designer is Dede Ayite; lighting designer, Alexander Nichols; sound designer, Nicholas Drashner; hair and wig designer, Cookie Jordan; dialect coach, Chantal Jean-Pierre; and dramaturg, Gabriel Greene.<\/p>\n

\u2014Charlene Baldridge ha estado escribiendo sobre las artes desde 1979. Siga su blog en charlenebaldridge.com o comun\u00edquese con ella en charb81@gmail.com.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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