“˜Queens’ depicts struggle for power among royalty

  City Garage Cynthia Mance (left),
Katheryn Sheer and Damien
DePaolis star in Normand Chaurette’s "The Queens."

By Janet Nakano
Daily Bruin Contributor

Freud’s theories might come in handy when trying to
interpret “The Queens,” a dream-like drama.

Power struggles, resurrected ghosts and even a man in a corset
appear in this production, written by Normand Chaurette and
directed by Frederíque Michel. “The Queens” is
currently playing at the City Garage Theatre through June 17.

Set in 1483 and inspired by Shakespeare’s “Richard
III,” “The Queens” tells the story of women who
will lie and deceive in order to become the next queen of England
as King Edward is dying somewhere offstage in the castle.

Paranoid that she is about to lose her crown, Queen Elizabeth
(Victoria Coulson) relentlessly searches for her sons, as they are
the true and rightful heirs to the throne. Hallucinatory images of
her sons appear and disappear throughout the show, driving the
queen crazier by the minute.

Meanwhile sisters Isabel and Anne Warwick deceive everyone,
including each other, in an attempt to usurp the thrown. This pair
even makes it uncertain whether King Edward is dying or has already
died as their lies create a wavering reality.

This uncertain reality is further intensified when the decrepit
and gaunt Duchess of York (Katharina Lejona) staggers on stage with
a frightening expression as she, too, covets the throne, even in
her old age. Screaming and crying, Lejona leaves a lasting
impression on the audience.

To add another perplexing dimension to the play and to further
confuse the audience, Chaurette introduces Anne Dexter (Andrea
Isco), the Duchess’ disowned daughter. For reasons never made
obvious to the audience, Anne’s hands have been cut off and
replaced with pots, and she cannot speak to anyone except her
mother.

The central theme in Chaurette’s play is the struggle for
power between these women. Though the struggle is mainly depicted
by dialogue, no real actions ever take place. It is as if the
characters are narrating a story. However, the characters never act
out what they are describing. What is seen onstage instead is what
might appear in one’s imagination or dream.

The play surprisingly opens with all the women naked, lyrically
reciting dialogue. To add to the dream-like atmosphere, throughout
the play the characters move about in strictly choreographed
patterns, creating an interesting visual dimension that calls for
interpretation the audience may be unable to make.

The stage direction is one of the highlights of the play.
Director Michel makes good use of small space, and all the actors
give commendable performances, though the English setting is not
quite believable as the characters all act blatantly American.

Interestingly, Chaurette has developed his own interpretation of
the actual events of history, just as Shakespeare had in
“Richard III.” He alters what really happened by
placing all these women onstage at the same time, when in fact each
existed at different points in history. This creates a more intense
coveting of the throne, adding a surreal aspect.

It takes a few scenes for audience members to get accustomed to
the dream-like, fantastical aspect of the play, making the
production confusing from the outset. With the characters fading in
and out and the story told primarily through dialogue, it is
difficult to understand what the actual point of the play is. Thus,
the average audience member can be left confused if not mentally
prepared beforehand.

“The Queens” is definitely a thought-provoking play.
With no intermission, the viewer must be attentive throughout and
has no time to sit back and relax, which detracts from the
enjoyable aspect of watching a play. A Freudian interpretation
might reveal enlightening latent meanings, but be forewarned:
don’t expect to leave the theater with any cathartic
feelings.

THEATER: “The Queens” is on stage
at the City Garage Theater, 1340 1/2 4th St. Alley in Santa Monica,
through June 17. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and
Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. For more information, call
(310) 319-9939.