You are cordially invited to the most charming — and ultimately chilling — affair of the fall social, er, theater season. It’s “Big Love,” which transforms an obscure, bloody Greek tragedy into a gloriously creative mash-up of wedding kitsch, pop rock and the ancient yet enduring ritual of objectifying women.
There may also have been roller skates.
This improbably wonderful production bursts out of nowhere. It’s an enormous party staged by a brand-new company called the Aluminous Collective that confidently turns theater convention on its hokey-pokey head, while still managing to warm — and break — your heart.
The Bindery Space, a warehouse theater best known for really good experimental head-scratchers, here is home to a wedding reception, complete with a tuxedoed five-piece jazz combo that also tears off hilariously staged pop tunes such as Billy Idol’s “White Wedding.”
Only there will be no wedding here tonight.
Charles Mee’s 2002 theatrical hybrid is a contemporary reinvention of Aeschylus’ “The Suppliant Women.” He takes the ancient premise — 50 unwilling sisters have been promised to their cousins in marriage — and attacks it from a modern sensibility, one that demands there can be no true love unless it is freely offered and both people enter into it with equal standing. Duh.
It’s taken only 2,500 years for most of us to arrive at this wacky, new-age epiphany.
Mee’s brides flee (in their gowns), and take refuge in an Italian villa. The grooms, as (American) men distressingly do, chase their chattel down with guns and helicopters as Jack Bauer might pursue domestic terrorists. Love has nothing to do with this business arrangement.
The women, now trapped, see only one way out — and it’s neither suicide nor subordination. A desperate, atrocious crime is proposed.
In the original Greek account, the women go through with this dirty deed but only to protect their father from an oracle predicting his assassination. Here, the women are taking control of their own situation. With no father or country to protect them, they become, in effect, their own nation of warrior women.
Director Colleen Mylott’s terrific, 26-person cast includes nine representative couples, focusing on two. First: Thyona (Elizabeth Watt), the impassioned leader of the feminist opposition, and a misogynist thug named Constantine (Kevin Poole).
Not a great match.
But, as in the original tale, one couple is destined to fall into a real, abiding (and therefore complicating) love: Lydia and Nikos (Joan Bruemmer and David Ortolano, in performances infused with heart).
For all its loosey-goosey silliness, “Big Love” at first seems destined to go down as a refreshing if lightweight oracle of the obvious. Women are not all the same: Some like to take, others like to be taken.
But it soon reveals itself to be much deeper than mere punch-line gender comedy, notably in a tender take on submission from a gay man’s perspective (an impossibly winning Nicholas Barth); also in Constantine’s disturbing treatise on hypocrisy — how we admire a soldier’s ability to conquer, protect and provide through war, then expect him to somehow put his innate violence aside back at home.
It’s soon clear that “Big Love” is an alternatingly angry and sweet rumination on the burdens of simply being human.
One permeating with an amazing pop underscore ranging from the Beach Boys to Bryan Ferry to M. Ward’s heartbreaking “Poison Cup.”
It all makes for an astute, satisfying and thought-provoking evening that builds to a visceral climax — all in all, a pretty incredible accomplishment.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“Big Love” ***1/2 (out of four stars)
Wedding jitters Presented by the Aluminous Collective at the Bindery Space, 2180 Stout St. Written by Charles Mee. Directed by Colleen Mylott. Through Nov. 21. 2 hours. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. $12-$15. 720-221-3821 or
Spotlight on: David Ortolano
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“I get to play a goofy, endearing brother who cries, bumbles and rollerskates his way into falling deeply and fearfully in love.” — Ortolano, who plays Nikos, is founder of the Boulder International Fringe Festival.
The story: On the morning of their wedding, 50 grooms arrive at the altar — and 50 unwilling brides run away. With the men in pursuit, the biggest day of their lives dissolves into comic mayhem — and a choice between true love and loyalty that only some survive.
The intrigue: This is Charles Mee’s contemporary adaptation of Aeschylus’ “The Suppliants.” “Our ensemble, made up of Naropa University graduates, has been collaboratively building our version of ‘Big Love’ since spring,” Ortolano said. “It’s going to be ‘big” in fun, scope and ‘love.’ ”
This weekend’s theater openings
“Ameriville” The Bronx-based theater ensemble Universes returns to Denver to present its contemporary fusion of poetic storytelling with jazz, gospel and hip-hop. Last appearing here during the 2008 Democratic National Convention, “Ameriville” is described as putting the nation under a microscope – exploring race, poverty, politics, history, and government, all through the lens of Hurricane Katrina as a metaphor for other national issues. Directed by Chay Yew. Curious Theatre, 1080 Acoma St., 303-623-0524 or
“Fully Committed” Steven Burge plays an out-of-work actor who mans the phone lines for a swanky five-star New York restaurant — and every other character. Through Dec. 20. Aurora Fox, 9900 E. Colfax Ave., 303-739-1970 or
“The Haunted Man” Completed just in time for Christmas, 1818, this is the last holiday story written by Charles Dickens. Through Dec. 31. Heritage Square Music Hall, 18301 W. Colfax Ave., Golden, 303-279-7800 or
“It’s a Wonderful Life … a 1940s Radio Play” A radio adaptation of the classic Frank Capra film about the small-town banker who, tired from the struggles of life, is rescued on Christmas Eve by his guardian angel. Through Dec. 20. Miners Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington St., Golden, 303-935-3044 or
“The Man Who Never Died” A courtroom drama about labor organizer and singer-songwriter Joe Hill, who was accused of murder in 1914. Through Nov. 21. Presented by ARCH at the Harlequin Theater, 990 S. Public Road, Lafayette, 888-512-7469 or
“Oliver” Musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist,” the story of the street urchin who dared to asked for more. Songs include “Food, Glorious Food” and “Consider Yourself.” Through Dec. 27. Town Hall Arts Center 2450 W. Main St., Littleton, 303-794-2787 or
“Scrooge, the Musical” Stage adaptation of the movie that starred Albert Finney as the curmudgeon visited by three Chrstmas ghosts. Through Dec. 27. Candlelight Dinner Playhouse, 4747 Market Place Drive, Johnstown, 970-744-3747, 1-877-240-4242 or
“The Sex Lives of Teenagers” Third part of a trilogy addressing issues facing teenagers. Through Sunday. Presented by Giving Voice Productions at the Dairy Center 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, 303-444-7328 or
“Singin’ in the Rain” A 1920s Hollywood power couple struggles to make the difficult transition from silent movies to the “talkies.” Songs include “Make ’em Laugh” and “Good Mornin’.” Through Feb. 14. Boulder’s Dinner Theatre, 5501 Arapahoe Ave., 303-449-6000 or
“Suspenders” This family-friendly musical written by Boulder County residents Nina Davis and Debi Stevenson examines the lives of a group of senior citizens living in a retirement community. Through Nov. 23. Platte Valley Players, 300 Strong St., 303-227-3053 or
“A Tuna Christmas” The holiday sequel to “Greater Tuna,” in which Seth Maisel and Austin Terrell again play all of the inhabitants of Texas’ third-smallest town — men, women, children and animals. Through Dec. 20. Victorian Playhouse, 4201 Hooker St., 303-433-4343 or
“Well” In this form-bending autobiographical mother-daughter tale, Lisa Kron shares the details of her middle-age life. Some details are exaggerated or improvised, but fortunately Lisa’s hypochondriac mother, Ann, is on hand to set the record straight. Through Dec. 19. Denver Center Theatre Company, Ricketson Theatre, 14th and Curtis streets, 303-893-4100 or
Complete theater listings
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The Running Lines blog
Catch up on John Moore’s roundup of theater news and dialogue. .
