Modernized Greek myth visceral and action-packed

Look around you. Corrupt dictators throughout the world rule devastated regimes and terrify ordinary citizens, all in the name of power. It’s mind-boggling.

As one of the most thematically provocative playwrights of the current Anglo-American theatre scene, Timberlake Wertenbaker simply had to speak up.

She delved into one of her favourite hobbies – Greek mythology – to lay the groundwork for The Love of Nightingale, opening Wednesday, April 4 at Walterdale Theatre for a 10-day run.

“But it’s not a Greek play. It’s in a more modern context. Timberlake tried to make it more relevant to today,” said St. Albert actor Quinn Hinch, one of two actors in the chorus.

Although the title has romantic overtones, the script is extremely visceral. The whip-smart dialogue carries deep undertones and lashes the corruption of absolute power and the silence that allows it to flourish.

“There’s a lot of action,” Hinch said. “There are a lot of fight scenes and cool sound effects. It’s basically a love story turned on its head with a wrench thrown in it.”

Borrowed from the ancient myth as recounted by Ovid in Metamorphoses, Philomel is raped by her brother-in-law, King Tereus. To add insult to injury, he cuts out her tongue, so she cannot speak about this barbaric act and destroy his powerful leadership.

Tereus tells his wife, Procne, that her sister is dead. Instead Philomel is kept locked up where she spends her time crafting life size dolls. She sees only Tereus and her servant Niobe.

During the Bacchanalian/Dionysian Festival, the only day of the year women are permitted to act madly and drink, Niobe takes her to the party. There the maimed princess re-enacts the rape with her dolls to let Procne know she is alive. Revenge ensues as only the Greeks can muster.

“At the end, none of the three protagonists looks rosy. Every one looks culpable and guilty and it tries to offer a perspective on why they are in this situation,” explained St. Albert actor David Johnston. He plays the dual role of a soldier and Theseus.

When Walterdale’s artistic director Sarah Van Tassel asked director Alex Hawkins to direct a Greek play, he hesitated. Hawkins, who has directed about a half dozen plays at the community theatre, felt it would have limited appeal to Walterdale audiences.

“How about a modern play with a Greek theme?” he asked.

As a drama professor at the University of Alberta, he had seen three in-house productions of Nightingale and was familiar with the text and its various interpretations.

“I liked it because it was highly theatrical. It moved fluidly from scene to scene. There are no blackouts, no shifts, no overlaps. There’s a unit set and you move fluidly and freely,” he added.

Joan Hawkins’ set is in fact quite simple – raised platforms and a cyclorama – something rarely used at the small playhouse stage because it limits entrances.

Although Hawkins has seen Tereus played as a straight-out bad guy, his vision tries to reveal a few redeeming qualities.

“He spends a lot of time being conflicted. He doesn’t know why he does what he does. He’s convinced the gods are directing him. He’s very rational and he knows what he’s doing. When Philomel resists, he’s helping her fulfil the will of the gods. He’s a tough guy to like, but it’s hard to dismiss him as just an evil guy.”

Since the weight of the play rests on Tereus’ shoulders, Hawkins held two auditions to find the right actor.

“Justin Deveau is the right guy,” Hawkins said. “He is best able to understand and convey the complexity and ambiguity of the character. He’s also physically right – about six feet three inches.”

Commissioned for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1989, Nightingale has all the ingredients of an emotionally gripping play.

“The play has strong themes,” Hawkins said. “There are good characters. It’s moving and it’s satisfying in a meat and potatoes way. It’s a serious play, but not ponderous or heavy.”