Spanning Continents

Senior Aiko Yasuhara and Steve Cembrinkski brought Naomi Iizuka’s "36 Views" — a meditation on the authenticity of art and identity — to life in Theatre II last week.

In the play, Claire Tsong (senior Leigh Diveris) is determined to ruin the integrity of Asian-art dealer Darius Wheeler (senior David Schrock). Her chance to thwart Wheeler presents itself when she convinces Wheeler’s assistant John Bell (freshman Travis Hockswender) to help her produce a false Chinese document. The document potentially would be valuable as a historical artifact, so Tsong tries to sell the fake piece to Wheeler.

Diveris dazzlingly delivered her lines with an eerily calm conviction. She walked with a subtle, but arrogant swagger, perfectly adhering to the sly and confident nature of Tsong’s character. Playing opposite Diveris, Hockswender effectively depicted John’s uncomfortable situation, instilling his lines with a sense of frustration and fear. Diveris and Hockswender had an excellent chemistry and boosted the performance of the rest of the cast, challenging them to match their energy — their scenes together were the best of the show.

Wheeler, while trying to obtain the manuscript, meets Elizabeth Newman-Orr (freshman Brittney Fei), a journalist trying to catch him in the theft of a Chinese national treasure. Wheeler also pursues an intimate relationship with Setsuko Hearn (junior Alice Shen), an assistant professor of Asian studies under Owen Matthiassen (junior Kevin Branson).

Schrock did an excellent job establishing his character in his opening monologue, nonchalantly describing a life-threatening situation in Asia that he experienced. However, Schrock never fully developed his character as the powerful — and despised — legend described by others in the play. Instead, he portrayed Wheeler as cool and laid-back.

Chen began poorly with an awkward delivery in her first scene opposite Schrock. However, as the show progressed, Chen built off of the energy of the cast and brought her character, Hearn, to a forceful catharsis in her fight with Wheeler at the end of the play.

The action of the play pushed forward using methods of the Japanese Kabuki theatre, such as Hikinuki and Bakkaeri costume changes — on-stage changes that allowed for a seamless flow from one scene to another. While these costume changes weren’t as grand as described in the notes of the play, senior Stephanie Schneider still demands respect for her costume design in the complex traditions of a foreign theatre style. Additionally, Dramaturg senior Rachel Bauder deserves applause for ensuring the traditions of the Kabuki theatre, like the traditional costume changes, were properly executed.

Unique aspects of the performance were its sound and music, designed by senior Jeff Jones. In addition to using the clapping of Ki sticks to quickly jump scenes and keep pace, Jones also contributed original music, playing live tunes on the bamboo flute that set the mood during certain key scenes, and further contributed to the Oriental aura of the play.

Junior Evan Moritz’s lighting design rounded out the technical achievements of the show. In one scene, Moritz accented Wheeler’s description of a strange blue in a forged painting by shifting the lights to a jarring blue hue that upset the eye and provided a perfect visual accompaniment to Wheeler’s words.