Directed by Steven Rimke, the show opens with the creation of life, followed soon by the familiar story of King Midas, Metamorphoses began its showcase. UVU Theatre spins the well-known tale with ease, ending with the gilding of Midas’s daughter and an introduction to the restorative properties of water — an underlying theme throughout the show.
The encompassing water theme is portrayed by the large pool as a center point onstage. The actors move with precision in and out of the pool as they flow from story to story, weaving their cautionary tale. Costumes change from time to time, simple to grand to simple again, heralding the changes of stories and characters. However, there is an overarching story throughout the production, with recognizable characters appearing often; Hermes, Aphrodite, and Zeus to name a few. This story is told to the audience and depicts the metamorphic nature of mankind.
King Midas is not the only familiar character to be spotted and ultimately changed. The tales of Alcyone and Ceyx, Erysichton, Orpheus and Eurydice, Pomona and Vertumnus, Myrrha, Phaeton, Eros and Psyche, and Baucis and Philemon all follow. These tales caution the audience to not fall into the traps of the seven deadly sins and showcase the metamorphic changes the characters in these stories undergo.
Alcyone and Ceyx, at the end of their tragic narrative, change into birds. Erysichton cuts down a sacred tree and is cursed by Ceres to turn into a man consumed by hunger, so much so that he turns that hunger to his own flesh. The account of Orpheus and Eurydice is performed twice, displaying the fact that no matter how hard they tried, they could not turn around and be the same people. They had to continue forward with the changes that had already been made.
Pomona and Vertumnus tell a tale that cautions the audience to not change themselves unnecessarily, as Pomona resists the charms of Vertumnus until he drops his many guises to greet her as himself. Myrrha is a beautiful woman who resists all her suitors until Aphrodite curses her to love her father. When Myrrha is discovered with her father, she runs away and weeps until she is changed into tears. Phaeton narrates his story to a therapist, who discovers new ways to see it. Psyche is changed into an immortal after she proves her love for Eros, and Baucis and Philemon find their abode transformed for the better after they offer a place to rest and eat to a disguised Zeus and Hermes.
Through these narratives, Mary Zimmerman, the original author of Metamorphoses, spins the different ways that a person can change, and the good and the bad of the transformation that humanity undergoes. She uses language and style not often seen in theatre, which leads to powerful work from the actors to correctly depict.
Through the masterful performances and storytelling of the actors, the beautiful lighting, the wonderful sound and the magnificent sets, a final, lasting message is communicated to the audience. And though this show has themes that are often unpleasant, especially in these modern times, its main emphasis is on potential transformation. No matter what change a person faces, or the temptations they undergo, the possibility of metamorphosis for the better is always there.
