Metamorphoses at the Pacific Theatre

Earlier this week I conducted an official interview with Michelle Kim regarding the premiere of Metamorphoses in Vancouver.

Written by Mary Zimmerman, Metamorphoses includes 10 stories, which are based on The Ovid. It is directed by Christine Willes, who is known for her TV roles on The CW’s Reaper and Showtime’s Dead Like Me. She is now the Artistic Director at The William Davis Centre at VanArts and makes legends appear on stage with Metamorphoses. She orchestrates an ensemble cast through scenes of raw emotion, sin, greed, and lust in what Michelle Kim refers to it as, “a classic assembly of myths infused with modernity.” [Rebecca Bollwitt – E! Online]

As mentioned in my E! post, this production embraced social media by encouraging me to invite bloggers to opening night. As a result, I had a great time (finally) meeting Karen, and hanging out with Raul. I also got to chat briefly with Erin Ashenhurst, with whom I attended high school and who happened to design the posters for the play.

Michelle’s performance tonight was gripping and engaging; her roles ranging from a playful toddler to an incestuously love-struck siren. The cast worked attentively around a pool of water in the middle of the set despite the fact that its edges were consistently soaked. Katherine Coupland was solid yet again (since I saw the student production last year) and new faces in the ensemble brought a modern light to the mythical stories.

Mindful tales of greed and lust were eclipsed by such timeless accounts as those of Eros and Psyche, and the torments of the underworld through the stories of Orpheus or Alcyone.

If you have the chance to take in some local entertainment this summer (especially on rainy nights like tonight) I highly recommend heading to the Pacific Theatre to check out Metamorphoses which runs from tonight until August 16th.