OSF part 2: The Clay Cart

On Thursday afternoon we saw Bill Rauch's production of The Clay Cart. The set, designed by Christopher Acebo, was gorgeous. Beautiful Indian practicals hung over both the stage and the house, the set was a circular playing space with seating space for actors to watch, and then beyond that a raised level from which the cast would enter and exit, including a large foot, appearing to be made out of clay, and the attached leg that disappeared into the sky. The best part of this set-up was the scene changes, which happened in the circular playing space, in which a variety of pillows would set each scene- a bedchamber, a stone wall, a park... and the cast would place and take away these pillows in a choreographed manner that made the changes a [wonderful] part of the show.

The story was a fun, exciting and satisfying story that felt like a mixture between Aladdin and the Mikado (without the offensiveness). What was not satisfying about the production, however, was the presentational style. It felt like they were trying to perform it in an extremely presentational manner in which the actors share an awareness with the audience about who is good, who is bad, what is funny, etc, but also address the fact that the audience, particularly this highly sophisticated Ashland audience, is used to realism. I would much rather have seen them go all-out presentational, because the result of going only half-way gave the production a half-good feeling. NOT that the presentational parts were the best, they felt forced (which I also think is a reflection of the actors not being used to it), but if it had been entirely like that it would have been one of the rules of the play and the audience would have accepted it.

I'll take this moment to mention that one of my other favorite actors at OSF is Eileen DeSandre, who played Vasantaseyna's servant in Clay Cart, Francis Flute in Midsummer, and last year played Gertrud in On the Razzle. She is hilarious.