'Herakles': Masonic Memorial's Well-Kept Secret
Ever stared up at the George Washington Masonic Memorial, one of Alexandria's most distinctive landmarks, and wondered about what goes on inside? Given its masonic "heritage", you probably couldn't help but imagine that the place might hold some mysteries.
The place does have a secret, and it comes in the form of a unique, start-up company-in-residence devoted largely to classical theater in the Greek style - Natural Theatricals. The group is staging its second show, Herakles, through August. And though word of mouth about the rising company is still spreading slowly (around 20 people made it for last night's mid-week performance), this isn't stopping the group from staging ambitious fare. The group performs in the indoor ampitheatre inside the memorial, which features a stage with a thrusting platform below it.
The company uses this setting to its advantage for its production of Herakles, though the upper seats suffer from some acoustic problems. The jutting platform hosts most of the play's action. The stage itself is used handily as a window to ancient Greek ruins outside a hotel in the first act, and as the site of the Oracle at Delphi at those ruins in the second act.
The play isn't the most accessible in the world, and feels slow-placed at times, less from the staging and performances and more because of a heavy, academic script.
Photo of Maryanne Mosher and John Tweel courtesy of Natural Theatricals
In its first act, we meet a brilliant, arrogant and troubled scientist (Bruce Alan Rauscher) who worships the idealized culture of the Greeks, but is afraid to face the truth of his own strained relationship with his son. In the second act, the action shifts to the Herakles myth, but concentrates on what happens after the heroic labors are done - the lonely wife (Maryanne Mosher) who's waited for her unreachable husband to return home, and the pair's eventual confrontation with a terrible truth about their family (those familiar with the legend can guess at what this is). Act II's setting and chronology is kind of confusing - though it takes place at the ruins of Athens during modern times, it's a bit hard to discern why ancient characters end up making an appearance, beyond the metaphorical significance they bring to the play.
Like another classically-influenced production which recently hit the DC theater scene, Herakles is a performance where the powerful wife/mother steals the show. Mosher's Megara is a steady, grounding presence throughout the play, showing extreme self-possession even during her character's most unglued moments. John Tweel lends an easy masculinity and muted intelligence to Herakles, and the pair exhibit a palpable chemistry.
Other cast standouts include Deborah Rinn Critzer and Rauscher, who bring great tension to Act I's scientist and his wife; Rauscher also appears as a tour guide to travelers in the second act, where he is more flamboyant, but less riveting. Given two of the more histrionic roles in the production is Margaret Contreras; her simpering hotel manager in Act I overreaches for laughs and falls a little flat. But her Xenoclea, the oracle at Delphi, is mesmerizing in her tortured state. Impressive makeup divides Xenoclea's face in two, so she appears one-half old crone, one-half young beauty. In Act II, she is a downright creepy force, and one significant line: "How many children have you, Herakles?" produced a genuine jolt of horror in this DCist's stomache.
Overall, your mind may find itself wandering during the play’s more plodding passages, but Natural Theatricals should be applauded for successfully bringing a difficult work to light. It'll be interesting to see what the troupe has in store for future productions.
Herakles runs August 5 through August 28. Tickets are $18.00 and can be purchased in advance through PayPal off the company's website.