Caligula, a Walking Shadow Theatre Company production at Red Eye Theater on 2/14/09

By: David de Young

“Men die and they are not happy”- Caligula, in Albert Camus' play of the same name

Walking Shadow Theatre Company’s production of Albert Camus’ 1944 play Caligula opened at The Redeye Theater Friday night. The play is part of Camus’ self-described "Cycle of the Absurd,” his better known works from the cycle being the novel The Stranger (1942) and the essay The Myth of Sisyphus (1942).  WSTC’s production of Caligula uses the 2003 translation by Scottish playwright David Greig. The production is directed by Walking Shadow Artistic Director Amy Rummenie and features Dave Gangler in the title role.

The action of the play opens two years into Caligula’s 3-year reign, shortly after the death of his sister (and lover) Drusilla. Caligula is said to have been a moderate ruler up until that time, and many consider his sister’s death to have been the triggering event for the madness and cruelty for which he is now most remembered. In his grief, Caligula comes to realize that “men die and they are not happy” and this philosophy compels him to "give this new century the gift of meaninglessness," as he puts it.

As Cherea (played by Sam Landman) points out in Act II, Rome's patricians find themselves living in a frightening world “where the most bizarre thoughts can become reality at any moment.”  Ultimately, unable to live in a world governed by Caligula’s absurd logic, Cherea and his colleagues find themselves compelled to kill the Emperor. In Camus’ version of this history, Caligula actively ignores the warning signs (including a handwritten note describing the plot against him) and arguably invites his own assassination.

Far from a comedy, fans of absurdism will still chuckle frequently throughout this ambitious production. With a total of 13 actors, the cast is fairly well-balanced, and overall the production succeeds. The few weak spots in the cast were minor and the ensemble as a whole did a good job of creating the sense of awkwardness and fear that must have been pervasive in Caligula’s inner circle.

Director Rummenie has cast the central roles particularly well. Dave Gangler is an impressive Caligula. Though small of stature, Gangler portrays a formidable emperor, demonstrating this early-on when he intimidates the much larger Matella, played by Peter Ooley. Other central roles include Chares Hubbell as Helicon, who brings a strained dignity to the part throughout, and Ellen Karsten as Caligula’s concubine Caesonia. For the first few moments after Karsten stepped onto the stage, I was a bit skeptical, but she seemed to warm up as the play went on. The energy of the production as a whole was that of a gradual upswing. The entire two and a half hour production appeared to go by in a flash with no identifiable dead spots. (There is a single 15 minute intermission about halfway through.)

It may not have been intended as such, but speaking of the production’s ease at holding the audience’s attention, having a gong rung in the first act, cymbals clattered repeatedly in the second and a whistle blown in the fourth pretty much ensures that no one could sleep through the production even if they tried.

But what perhaps struck me most about Camus’ Caligula was how well the love for the emperor came through despite the accompanying fear (and the fact that everyone wanted to kill him.) Particularly good at expressing this were Helicon and Caesonia, but also Scipio (played Sid Solomon.) In other words, despite the subject matter and eventual outcome, there is still a tenderness I perceived at the heart of this play that comes through in the production.

Costumes by Kathy Kohl, particularly those worn by Gangler, deserve a shout out. Gangler is variously draped in a sort of orange top coat with columns on it, a bridal gown fit for a goddess, Persian dance robes and more. The patricians appeared dressed in 18^th Century military or civilian garb which worked well with Steve Kath's versatile set which could easily have been pretty much anywhere in any time period.

Caligula runs through February 28^th. Tickets and more information can be found at http://www.walkingshadowcompany.org

Location Info: Red Eye Theater
Artist Info: Walking Shadow Theater Company

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