[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of The Road Theatre Company’s OTHERKIN, written by N.T. Vandecar and directed by Christina Carlisi.
What is this beautifully written, mystical, mythical, magical play, OTHERKIN, actually about? We know it is the story of a 14-year-old girl searching for her birth parents. We know she identifies as a dragon, detachable wings and all.
We all know that teenage girls can be a bit difficult, a bit fiery…a bit, well, nuts. But this girl seems sane in her own crazy way, and her adoptive mother certainly takes her dragon-ish behaviour rather seriously. So when her father is located and an arrangement is made for them to meet, the problem of her chosen persona is far from the first thing on his mind. He’s more focused on trying to explain the news to his husband on the same day they receive notice that a tiny baby is available for them to adopt from China, something they have been longing for for years. This is a lot of information about a 90-minute play. But trying to explain this gorgeous, paradoxical conundrum is tricky business.
There are also three ancient beings to add to the rich tapestry. They seem to have been in communication with Olive for quite a while, and it is these three who told her who she was and why she was chosen to save the world.
The world is ending in days, which feels very relevant right now, doesn’t it? Perhaps that is one of the reasons why I found the story so compelling, so riveting, so realistic in so many ways. Even with magical ancient beings and a girl who thinks she is a dragon, apart from the fact that nothing would really surprise me at all anymore. We really do have this heaviness of impending doom hanging over us all. So a play about the end of the world just seems right.
But is that what this play is about? I’m not entirely sure, if I’m honest. Which is one of the very many things I loved about Otherkin. I have a particular fondness for walking out of a theatre and not saying a word for a few minutes. Deep in thought, allowing the story, the characters and even the conclusion to wash over me a little and for my mind to ruminate. For me, that is the mark of a successful play. To leave questions unanswered, impressions unresolved. To allow an audience to imagine more than we have seen.
Otherkin is a story. It has wonderful, heartfelt, deeply real characters. The stress of the countdown, through human understanding and unsurprising anarchy, and then to destruction, is real and powerfully shown. But what makes it special to me is why we all find ourselves in this place together. I have had a teenage daughter, I have been a teenage daughter. That particular species of human is somewhat of a profane, potent collision of brainwaves and hormones and, yes, fire. It is not beyond the realm of possibility, in my opinion, that a teenage girl was the cause of the big bang, the beginning of it all, much more likely than some god or other. For Olive to believe so completely that she could become a dragon and save the world, this is totally plausible, in my experience. I have absolutely no problem wrapping my head around that.
The actors are incredible. They must perform with the absolute certainty that what is happening is real, and they far outdo any expectations. They are mesmerising and I believed every word they spoke. Transporting a theatre audience, while not an impossible task, is not an easy one. And yet I was transported. The entire theatre was. All of us holding our breath, gripping our seats and loving the thrill of this brilliant play.
The Road is, as always, thrillingly pushing boundaries on performance and stories and the perception of theatre and its role in our lives now and forever. They support and cultivate wonderful talent, in writing, acting and production. We are profoundly fortunate to have them in our midst.
OTHERKIN is another in a long line of stunning productions at The Road. I urge you all to see it, knowing that you will embrace it’s ‘crazy’ and love it as much as I did!
Tickets:
https://ci.ovationtix.com/35065/production/1237771
When:
September 23-November 2
Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm; Sundays at 2pm.
There will be additional performances on Thursday, October 16; Thursday, October 23 and Thursday, October 30 at 8pm.
There will be two captioned performances for the deaf and hard of hearing communities on Sunday, October 12 and Friday, October 17.
Where:
The Road on Magnolia
10747 Magnolia Blvd, NoHo Arts District, CA 91601
The Cast
The cast of OTHERKIN features: Nychelle Hawk as “Olive,” Stephanie Erb as “Vivian/Grael,” Justin Lawrence Barnes as “Lucas,” Andre G. Brown as “Darren/Fafnir” and Arthur Hanket as “Howy/Naelyan.”
The Design Team
The Design Team is as follows: Scenic Design by Justin Kelley-Cahill; Lighting Design by Derrick McDaniel; Projection Design by Nick Santiago; Sound Design by Matthew Richter; Costume Design by Sue Makkoo; Properties Design by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky. The Production Stage Manager is Maurie Gonzalez.
OTHERKIN is produced by Danna Hyams and Taylor Gilbert.