Zoot, the resident company of the Victoria’s Impact Program, swaps the original Mexican setting for a nondescript locale emphasizing indigenous cultures.
“When Steinbeck was writing ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ and ‘Of Mice and Men’ he was totally wrapped up in the culture of colonialism, the domination of a rural society,” said director/choreographer Sharon Leahy.
Leahy, who helmed Zoot’s 2009 production of “Hansel and Gretel,” also finds relevance in “The Pearl’s” sense of community. Despite the plight of poverty, elements such as family, music, dancing and rituals contributed to a unifying togetherness that emboldened survival. She said that contemporary audiences can gain insight from the value of cultures once considered primitive.
“The Pearl,” which will be presented as a one-act, can be perceived as a theatrical homecoming for Leahy, whose Americana-infused dance company Rhythm in Shoes, co-created by her collaborator-husband Rick Good, wowed audiences for nearly 25 years before disbanding in 2010.
She says she was approached to direct numerous times since then but preferred to avoid the tension a production can bring, especially having been in the “treadmill of producing.” Leahy spent three-and-a-half-months in India last year as a means of rejuvenation. Still, having the opportunity to stretch her artistic wings once more with Zoot, which offers a heightened level of theatricality with its use of masks, was simply irresistible.
The cast consists of the aforementioned Leahy and Good along with Kevin Anderson, Melissa Anderson-Proffitt, Olivia Good, Patrick Hayes, Natalie Houliston, Chris Shea, Rachel Strayer, Gary Thompson and Michael Wadham. Rick Good also provides the musical score, which is rooted in indigenous cultures but borrows from folk and Appalachian influences.
As opening night approaches, Leahy hopes audiences are willing to leave realism at the door and awaken their imagination.
“ ‘The Pearl’ is abstract. It’s not entertainment. You can’t just sit back in your chair. Really good theater makes you sit forward and come to it. I don’t think we have quite enough of that happening in our region right now.”
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