Date: Fri 06-Nov-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: CAROLL

Quick Words:

Galileo-Yale-Rep-theatre

Full Text:

(rev "Galileo" @Yale Rep)

THEATRE REVIEW-- A "Galileo" Of Epic Proportions

(with cut)

BY JUNE APRIL

NEW HAVEN -- Absorbing, theatrical and provocative, Galileo is one of the best

presentations offered at Yale's Repertory Theatre in quite a while. In

celebration and observation of the centenary of Bertolt Brecht's birth, this

is a most appropriate selection. It is also an ironic note in that when Brecht

died in 1956 he was working with his East German theatre company, The Berliner

Ensemble, rehearsing a new production of Galileo.

The appreciation of the theatre experience must include plays by such creative

giants as Bertolt Brecht. "Epic Theatre" is intentionally an intellectual

experience, intended to educate and empower audiences. An avowed Marxist,

Brecht worked from the standpoint of Realism, acknowledging that the

characters are actually actors who are taking on the traits of each persona as

a vehicle of demonstrating human behaviors and interactions.

Growing up in Germany during World War I and having to flee in World War II

from the Nazis, Brecht's works are a commentary on the nature of humans and

their potential. Deeply affected by the atomic bomb, later revisions to

Galileo consider the challenges of scientific advances and the applications

and ethical implications of these discoveries.

Cloaked in historic garb, nonetheless, the issues are applicable even now. One

case-in-point: using artistic license, a line was inserted by Director Evan

Yionoulis about the three "Dolly" sheep (the scientific advancement in genetic

engineering) in a costume ball sequence... it appropriately illustrates

Brecht's thinking.

The balance between knowledge and its application continues to be a challenge

to the human race. Ethical and beneficial uses of new discoveries often hold

the dual potentials of progress and destruction. Bertold Brecht's Galileo

explores these timeless concerns, and brings to Yale Repertory audiences an

evening of highly charged and provocative theatre.

Under the creative guidance of its acclaimed director, the production

synthesizes the philosophical views of a 17th Century Italian

physicist/astronomer/mathematician and a 20th Century German writer.

The cast of 23 actors and three musicians is strong and involved. Two of the

youngest cast members, fifth grader Kaitlyn Ashley (playing a boy and the

child Andrea Sarti), and Douglas Isiah Lyons, a seventh grader who royally

portrays the young Prince Cosimo de Medici, are remarkable in the intensity

and credibility they bring to their roles.

The set design is impressive and startling. Scenic Designer Adam Stockhausen

is making his debut with this production, and his creative skills are an

important factor in the success of Galileo. Working with lighting designer

Jennifer Tipton, the ambiance of each of the 12 different settings defines

mood as well as locale.

The costumes could be viewed as a mishmash because they ranged from 16th and

17th Century to rather contemporary. However, for this reviewer, Paul

Spadone's choices strongly reflected a visual statement that these conditions

are not only of the historical period.

Beside writing poetry, drama, philosophy and developing Epic Theatre, Brecht

also composed music and choreographed. Some of his most remarkable

collaborations include The Three-penny Opera , Saint Joan of the Stockyards ,

Mother Courage and her Children , The Good Person of Szechwan and The

Caucasian Chalk Circle .

He used music and written words to serve as highlighted commentary for the

audience, to be sure to focus on what was going to be presented next.

This production, on the New Haven stage until November 14, takes into

respectful account the intent of Epic Theatre, and does so in an entertaining

and mesmerizing way. Try to catch it.

(Performances are Monday through Saturday evenings, and matinees are Saturday

at 2 pm. Tickets run $26 to $33. Call Yale Rep's box office, 432-1234, for

Galileo information.)