Narcissism of Greek play “˜Phédre’ mirrors vain Hollywood attitude

If Hollywood celebrities are the royalty of America, then
it’s only appropriate that New York’s Wooster Group has
impressively brought its spoiled, self-obsessed version of
Racine’s lustful queen to Los Angeles.

Based on Paul Schmidt’s re-envisioning of
“Phédre,” the story of the Greek queen who is
overcome by lust for her own stepson, the world-famous avant-garde
theater troupe has brought “To You, the Birdie!
(Phédre)” to UCLA’s Freud Playhouse through Nov.
17.

Kate Valk plays the title character as the ultimate pampered
neurotic: obsessed with her own feet, compulsive about handbags,
and unable to complete a bowel movement without elaborate
assistance.

Director Elizabeth LeCompte effectively executes her portrayal
of these royal excesses to underscore the fact that Phédre is
a woman so indulged she is allowed to succumb to a violent passion
for her stepson. By bringing this production to Los Angeles., the
capital of over-served fame, LeCompte hits the nail precisely on
the head. Where Racine borrowed from Euripides to needle the French
aristocracy, the Wooster Group takes aim at the Hollywood
elite.

Phédre is so coddled she won’t even speak for herself
most of the time, leaving her part to be read by the brilliantly
understated Scott Shepherd, who doubles as Theramenes. Theseus, the
king, played by Willem Dafoe (“Last Temptation of
Christ”), is so hyper-aware of his own physicality he often
stops mid-sentence to pose like a statue and shout, “Look at
this!” And under the strict supervision of Venus, all of the
characters play endless amounts of badminton.

Wooster’s impressive set design and utilization of sound
effects (for which the group is famous) effectively assist with the
intertwined themes of excess and badminton. Flat screen televisions
and sliding glass panels give the audience unexpected (and at
times, undesirable) perspectives on each scene, while the sound a
racket makes when connecting with the birdie often speaks volumes
about the character holding it.

Just the novelty of staging a live badminton match seems enough
to merit praise. The actors have been thoroughly trained in the
sport, and together with agile court attendants and Venus as
referee calling out cryptic regulations like “the play must
be continuous,” the entire feat carries the energy of a video
game gone mad.

Despite the play’s tendency to put style over substance,
most of the actors more than manage to avoid being overshadowed by
the play’s technological prowess. Valk displays an
unforgettable physical presence as the stumbling, out-of-control
queen. Dafoe lends his star power appropriately to the role of
arrogant Theseus, accepting sensual massages from courtesans even
while seething in anger. Only Sheena See, stepping into the role of
Oenone which was played by Frances McDormand in New York, fails to
deliver a commanding performance as she visibly hesitates a few too
many times.

As a cohesive piece, “To You, the Birdie!” offers a
manic vision of vanity run amuck. Even where the action appears to
suffer from attention deficit disorder, its sheer ambition makes it
hard to not be impressed.

“To You, the Birdie! (Phédre)” is playing
through Nov. 17, Tuesday through Friday at 8 p.m, Saturday at 3 and
8 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. .at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse. For
tickets go to www.uclalive.edu, visit the UCLA Central Ticket
Office, or call (310) 825-2101.