A scene from the production of Myths and Moonbows underway at Los Alamos Little Theatre. Courtesy/LALT
REVIEW by Kirsten Laskey
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
Silence adults! The children have something to say. While grown-ups do appear in Los Alamos Little Theatre’s Myths and Moonbows production, it is the younger actors who take center stage to share stories about the creation of the Earth and the heavens, among other things.
Myths and Moonbows isn’t one, single story but rather a collection of vignettes that depict various cultures’ explanations for how the earth, water, heavens and the sun were created before moving on to short stories about identity and relationships between adults and children.
The sets are basically nonexistent in this production. There is a platform, steps and a giant pyramid shaped-structure all shrouded in various shades of black. And that is it. Barebones to be sure, but there is a fantastical, surreal, veneer visible throughout the production. Its stories exist solely in a wonderful, dreamlike world. The settings could look like anything; it is up to the audience to fill in all the blank spaces on the stage.
As far as the costumes, they are also pretty minimal, but I appreciate the clever use of various hats to convey shrubbery and tree leaves in one vignette; the splendid use of a gold lamè shirt and sunglasses to depict a cocky god in another and the costumes of two monsters having an existential conversation (the glow-in-dark squiggly fingers were awesome).
There is no music in this play and the dialogue features some lengthy pauses so there are stretches of complete silence but again, the production is clever with its use of sounds to enhance the story. For instance, the audience is invited to rub their hands together, stomp their feet and snap their fingers to mimic the sounds of rain, and lo and behold, a roaring thunderstorm erupts in the theatre.
This is a cast of very young thespians and I tip my hat to all of them for their performances. I particularly enjoyed the antics of Anthony McVay, Austen Horner, Gloria Marksteiner and Sarah Sanders who are a group of campers that get swept up in the water, earth and sky to discover each element’s origin. Another real stand-out was Ella Marksteiner who portrays a hen. From her white feather boa and oversized bucket hat to her frenetic dancing; Ella nailed her role and pretty much stole the scene.
My personal favorite stories are the ones exploring relationships between adults and children. Each one builds off the other. The first features bickering which leads to the child marching off in frustration and the adult crying. The second shows a seasoned vampire exercising patience with a newbie immortal and the third depicts an adult robot allowing her younger counterpart to not only divert from the plan but take the lead to get the job done. All three make a compelling argument; and I would argue, cement the entire message of Myths and Moonbows, which is: children may be young and inexperienced, but their voices and feelings matter and if you give them a chance and maybe even a stage, they really, really shine.
Myths and Moonbows continues at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and again at 2 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit www.lalt.org
A scene from Myths and Moonbows underway at Los Alamos Little Theatre. Courtesy/LALT