Performance digs to reveal what lies “Beneath the Surface”
A pterodactyl with a gambling problem sits at a blackjack table in the middle of the earth with a man trying to dig from Hawaii to Botswana.
This picture is not a crazy dream. It’s a scene from “Beneath the Surface,” the current musical production from the CU theatre department.
The performance follows the journey of a disillusioned young man named Andy, played by Josh Greenwood, who is trying to dig his way through the earth. Along the way he meets a school of seductive fish, an army of ants, his childhood pet turtle and a haunting image from his past.
An original script written by Caroline Murphy and Brett Macias, “Beneath the Surface” is being performed at CU in front of its first audiences. Haris Mahic, a 21-year-old junior theatre major, was impressed by the musical’s debut.
“It was one of the best original productions performed here,” Mahic said.
The performance is directed by Terry Berliner, whose Broadway credits include “The Sound of Music” and “The Lion King.”
The use of the theatre’s performance space was one of the most impressive aspects of the show. A square room with three rows of seating on all sides gave the stage in the middle limited space and multiple points of projection.
The show utilized the otherwise awkward space by integrating the columns, stairways and surrounding location of the audience. All of the props were on wheels and cast members gracefully spun them around to ensure each angle was covered.
Frank Crane, a 20-year-old junior psychology major, said the way the space was used was one of his favorite parts about the musical.
“It’s a very interesting performance space because actors have to keep circling around,” Crane said. “It flows better and is more natural as far as movement.”
Crane also said he liked the non-human characters in the show. At one moment, the girl members of the cast were wearing brown and tan clothes and were pieces of the earth. A quick costume change later, they were fish surrounded by puddles made of hula hoops lined with cascading ripples of blue string.
The stage also transformed itself, acting as an underground stream with the lowering of disco balls and a college house party with collar-popped co-eds.
Find all the transformations surprising? They didn’t compare to the plot twist in the second act that explains why Andy originally began digging.
Pursued by a past he can’t escape, Andy sees his childhood dreams resurrected and a mistake he once made being avenged with the help of the red-headed woman, played with amazing presence by Cailin Doran.
In a director’s note, Berliner commented on how much she enjoyed working with the new script and remembered her days as a student at CU.
“I was trying to figure out how to compose a live theatrical event that was both entertaining and relevant,” Berliner said.
With this performance, she has created an engaging portrait of what lies just below the surface, not only of the earth but of Andy’s character.
The musical will be performed March 11-15 at 8 p.m. and March 15 and 16 at 2 p.m. in the loft theatre. For more information, visit the CU theatre and dance department Web site.
You can contact Campus Press Staff Writer Morgan Keys at morgan.keys@colorado.edu.
