In Identity Theft, a devised work now at the Cleveland Play House, seven grad student performers seek to explore the mysteries
of identity in a work written and assembled by Anders Cato. The multi-tasking
Cato translated the texts of August Strindberg, which are used in the piece,
and also directs the 90-minute production.
The
finished work provides often-stunning eye candy thanks to some dazzling lighting effects by Michael Boll and the fluid scenic design by Jill Davis. The non-linear and often
fragmented scenes do a good job of mirroring the crazy-quilt nature of
identity—how we are all many different people depending on the people we’re
near and what the situation is.
And
the performers—Therese Anderberg, Bernard Bygott, Drew Derek, TJ Gainley,
Christa Hinckley, Sarah Kinsey and Stephen Spencer—are an energetic and
committed lot. As a result, many of the individual scenes or moments work well
in a vacuum.
But
this show, like so many devised plays (which are put together with the input of
the cast and designers), has one major flaw: no one on stage has anything at
stake, nothing they’re risking.
By
using Strindberg as their starting point, Cato and company have found a
compelling and richly contradictory focus, as that playwright swung from pole
to pole in his private passions and relationships.
But
Strindberg had to deal with the consequences of his fractured identity. And so
do characters in a more traditional play. But Identity Theft gives everyone a free pass as they try on different
identities and personas, holding and dancing with pieces-parts of store
mannequins as they move and sing and, at time, settle down for a bit and
actually talk.
But
that talk never leads anywhere because there is another, completely different identity
gambit rushing up to take its place. The true nature of identity, and of
discovering who you really are, is not just a child’s game of trying on
different faces.
In
reality, even small identity changes can create monumental ripple effects for
the person and for their friends and loved ones. This is a complex reality more suited
to being conveyed through storytelling, not a collage of impressions—however
interesting on the surface they might be.
To
sum up, Identity Theft a bold and
often riveting theatrical experience. But it brings the audience no closer to
understanding the volatile chemistry of identity because it chooses to ignore
the human toll that such changes often demand.
Identity
Theft
Through
March 9, produced by the Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House MFA
Acting Program, at PlayhouseSquare, The Helen (Lab Theatre), 1407 Euclid
Avenue, 216-241-6000
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