Liz Lauren
Phoebe González, left, and Christopher Sheard are the lovers in "A Phoenix Too Frequent" at American Players Theatre.
Following American Players Theatre’s thrilling remount of An Iliad earlier this season, the company is presenting another modern version of an ancient tale in a decidedly lighter vein. A Phoenix Too Frequent, a one-act written in blank verse by British playwright Christopher Fry, is a comic retelling of a story from the Roman poet Petronius. (The obscure title is from Robert Burton’s translation of an epigram from another Roman poet, Martial. Pining for his lost love, he proclaims that in comparison to his lady, “a peacock’s undecent, a squirrel’s harsh, a phoenix too frequent.”) Described by director Keira Fromm as “meet cute in a mausoleum,” the play tells the quirky story of three people facing death who unexpectedly discover the meaning of life.
The characters fit nicely into identifiable types: Dynamene (a noble Phoebe González) is the beautiful young widow who has come to her husband’s tomb to dramatically weep and starve herself to death, so they may be reunited in the afterlife. Doto (an earthy Tyler Meredith) is her slightly base, faithful servant who vows to join her mistress in this doomed voyage of mourning, having little else to do. And as the shiny hero Tegeus/Chromis, Christopher Sheard is the unwitting Roman guard who stumbles onto the scene of the two hungry, grieving women when he sees a light in the crypt. Tall, strong, handsome and noble, he has no choice but to fall immediately in love with Dynamene and convince her that there is still much of life left for her to enjoy, preferably in his arms. And in an amusing twist at the end, Dynamene also finds a better use for her deceased husband than as a receptacle for her tears; he saves her new lover from certain, dishonorable death.
But these characters only have one joke to tell and 90 minutes to do it in. They fill the time with Fry’s overly embellished verse that can be more dense than it is entertaining. Even for the opening night audience members, who were eager to laugh out loud, Phoenix seemed more a taxing intellectual exercise than an easy summer rom-com.
In the director’s notes, artistic director Brenda DeVita is quoted as describing the play as “so funny and so smart and it’s great for our company and our audiences.” And I found some of that to be true. Visual aspects of the production are beautifully realized through elegant, detailed period costumes, designed by Mieka van der Ploeg, and a cheeky set featuring flirting marble busts by Jeffrey D. Kmiec. On the surface Phoenix looks like a painting or museum exhibit come to life.
Certainly there is no company better equipped to tackle a play packed with arcane language than APT. The actors do an amazing job sorting through the speeches, luxuriating in intense emotion and finally pulling out some meaning from the overstuffed lines. And there is no audience that listens harder, ready to exchange self-satisfied grins with their seatmates, having decoded an obscure witticism. When a pedestrian observation sneaks in they are rewarded with nuggets of comedy hidden in the intentionally overwritten dialogue. Director Fromm adds another layer of levity with several gags in the physical staging, just for good measure.
As Doto, APT newcomer Meredith plays an excellent foil to her bereft mistress, her eyes full of mischief, her lines full of hiccups, and her character’s needs easily satisfied with a cask full of wine. Meredith’s straightforward delivery and natural comic timing make Doto the most likeable and accessible character in the play. As the widow, González epitomizes the grand gesture. She puts as much passion into her heady poetry about new love as she does lamenting the loss of her geeky, accountant former husband. In a weak moment, starved of food, sleep and companionship, she transfers Dynamene’s affections to the first handsome man she sees. And as the inexperienced, often awkward soldier who is just as quickly distracted from his duties and hobbled by love, Sheard creates a life-size, walking Ken doll of devotion.
But even with all of these pieces in place, the company can’t compensate for the overly embroidered script. While it is a relief to see the Roman lovers finally free each other from an early grave at the play’s end, the journey feels like a very long one indeed.
A Phoenix Too Frequent is playing at the Touchstone Theatre at American Players Theatre through Oct. 3.
