SDA’s ‘Marat/Sade’ is a revolution in theater
The unique play-within-a-play is a spectacle of immersion.
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By HENRY KOFMAN
A scenic sensation of spectacle shocked audiences as the School of Dramatic Arts’ production of Peter Weiss’ “The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade” opened Friday night in the Sanctuary Theatre.
“Marat/Sade” is a play originally written by Peter Weiss in 1964 and performed in German. The English version is by Geoffrey Skelton with verse adaptation by Adrian Mitchell. The play is classified as “Theatre of Cruelty,” a term inspired by the works of Antonin Artaud to describe a genre of theater meant to sock audiences with unforgettable scenes on stage and in the audience’s mind. It is full of symbolism and surrealism in the best ways possible.
The show follows the inmates of the Asylum of Charenton as they put on a play exploring the persecution and assassination of French journalist and political revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat, although from the mouthful of a title alone that can be easily understood. It offers an incredibly unique take on the play-within-a-play genre and, further than that, a fully immersive experience for the audience, keeping them entranced for the entire around-120-minute runtime.
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The show is performed on a thrust stage with options to sit on any one of three sides of the performance. Any of the sides always has something to look at. However, downstage on the right side led to a great holistic experience, while the left side gave more intimate moments during long dialogues between Marat and Sade. Regardless of where the audience member is seated, the richness of the show allows the viewer to experience new details on every watch.
“Marat/Sade” is a show that is nearly impossible to describe or prepare for. The world built within the Sanctuary Theatre transports the audience into the Asylum of Charenton, and they walk onto the stage with inmates interacting with them prior to the show, adding to the immersion.
Above all else, the spectacle of it sells the show. The brilliant direction of Stephanie Shroyer uses the actors to build the world through flowing movement; the cast of 26 is constantly moving around and interacting with set pieces and their own bodies to create the environment. Yet, it is also a constant reminder that the show is performed within the Asylum.
“Marat/Sade” is not quite a musical but is considered to be a play with music, and multiple-time SDA music director Billy Thompson’s musical direction uses the songs to create powerful moments. The cast has excellent voices, with singers Davon Collier Jr. (Cucurucu), Ben Crane (Kokol), Briana James (Rossignol) and MJ Manning (Polpoch) standing out for their powerful solo moments. This is another instance of the full absorption into the asylum, with patients doubling for band members during musical moments.
Student sound designer Ari Hyman’s design was the cherry on top to feel the world on a deeper level. The combination of technical and practical effects for sound is a difficult balance to achieve. However, “Marat/Sade” was spot on, constantly surprising and immersing the audience. The mania of the sound can get so severe at times that the seats in the Sanctuary Theatre shake with the booming immersion of the sound. Actors used everything from buckets, boxes and balloons to Foley many of the sound effects.
The only critique is that the show, while great, is very wordy. At times, long monologues and complicated vocabulary require more focus and brainpower. There are also a few jokes that didn’t quite land with the audience.
As the show begins, the audience is taken through this inside-out play on multiple levels; Casey Landman (Madame Coulmier), Zoey Juliette Monnissen (Coulmier’s Daughter) and Lewis Oliveras (Coulmier’s Son) join the audience to see Marquis de Sade’s play.
Quaz Degraft (Herald) brings an outstanding performance, truly taking the audience along with him on the journey. Serving as a narrator of sorts, Degraft is very aware of the audience. His performance and interaction with Landman, as well as audience members, is a cornerstone in making “Marat/Sade” as great as it is.
Jacquelyn “Jax” Fajarillo (Herald’s Light) and her more timid counterpart, Samantha Salamoff (Herald’s Shadow), also contribute to the outstanding storytelling through their minor expositional lines, but more so with their spectacularly magical, physical and sound-based storytelling.
The show is notably not a musical, but rather a play with music. The four “vocalists” in the show help tell the story through song, clad in clown makeup and Phrygian caps. (Craig Schwartz / USC School of Dramatic Arts)
Once immersed in the show, Matthew Abatti (Jean-Paul Marat) and Diego Casasnovas-Torres’ (Marquis De Sade) performances cannot go unmentioned. Abatti captures the revolutionary and feverish lifestyle of Marat without leaving a bathtub for the majority of the show. His ability to fully be Marat from his first appearance sitting in the bathtub until the finale and the spot-on replication of imagery pictured in Jacques-Louis David’s “The Death of Marat” — an image viewable to those sitting on the left side — is wholly powerful.
Turning attention to the other title character, Casasnovas-Torres’ portrayal of playwright Marquis De Sade intensifies as the show continues. As a playwright and viewer off to the side of the show for a good portion of the beginning, Casasnovas-Torres’ true ability is revealed near the end of the first act and continues into Act Two. Once revealed, the power of his performance only continues to amplify.
As Marat’s revolution in France is brewing, so is Sade’s within the writing of his play. Both performers together — yet fully separate from each other — are able to create an intense feeling of rising revolution in the minds of the audience.
Another notable performance is that of Rama Orleans-Lindsay (Jacques Roux). She is not onstage very often, but makes every millisecond count. Her appearance in any scene completely draws the audience’s eyes to give her full attention as her portrayal of the revolutionary priest bursts far beyond the straitjacket that holds her.
It would be remiss to not dive into the glue that held the show together so brilliantly — the ensemble. Most of the actors in this show were presented with the challenge of playing an inmate who is playing a character, and that is done impressively through the ensemble from preshow to post.
Every member of the ensemble stands out in their own right for the diverse range of characters they embody. It is clear that they all know their full backstory, who they are and what led them to performing this play in the asylum.
This true depth of character for every cast member is what makes the show great. Through this ensemble, these inmates, the show is well deserving of full accolades.
Peter Weiss’ “The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade” brings the audience through all that is mentioned in its title and more. With an ending that is so powerful — and slightly different per performance — it has the audience in disbelief, pain and shock but yet laughter, awe and a strange, heavy levity. Anyone who sees this show will walk out with so much to say but no clue how to say it — in the best way.
Peter Weiss’ “The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade” runs at the Sanctuary Theatre through Oct. 27.
