CORE Theatre Company presented their second production for their new company which began last summer - The Yellow Wallpaper which was adapted by CORE Theatre and performed at the Stables Theatre across from O.D.U. It was wonderful to see something so fresh and new in concept for the area.  Finally someone who does something abstract, cerebral and better yet... effective.

Here is a story that was written in 1892 and was often read as a horror story or tale of madness. This story is partly auto-biographical.  Playwright Charlotte Perkins Gilman had suffered from postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter.  Her doctor prescribed bed rest with no physical exertion or intellectual stimulation.  Gilman claims that this ‘treatment’ drove her close to madness and The Yellow Wallpaper is in response to that ‘treatment’ prescribed.  Her story revolves around what can and did happen as one stares at the same walls month after month, in this case ‘the yellow wallpaper.’

The cast is wonderful.

The characters, or images if you will, never take on a ‘character’ as in a Dick or Jane book but just remain distant voices, sometimes eerie, macabre or even violent.  One stand out performance from an ensemble member comes from Kent Collins.  He assists in earlier scenes so Gilman can relate to someone from the outside world - in this case her husband and doctor/caretaker.  His performance is a bit weaker than Emel’s, or maybe hers is so multi dimensional that she manages to run over him and leave him trying to catch up.

What is most amazing about the ensemble is how the director, Brent Powell, has managed to use them to create the environment of the yellow wallpapered room and the dimension his staging gave the production. Mr. Powell also makes some very bold choices in this production and when they first begin you ask ‘what the hell?’  The most notable is the tap number performed by the whole cast.  (A side note, this was very well choreographed by Kent Collins.)  When it first began all I could do was laugh... until I realized this really marked both her decline into madness and her attempt to both entertain herself and try to avoid that decline.  Again this is the boldest choice and once you get past the initial shock you begin to realize that Mr. Powell didn’t just put things in because he could, but rather because it fits and actually enhances and progresses the plot. 

The set designed by CORE is four stage flats bare lying on top of each other, one skewed above the other.  The remainder of the set is brought on in the opening dance where material with a light yellowish pattern is stretched around the four posts of the theatre to create the boxed in effect of the room.  As the play progresses the material is distorted and stretched to express how Gilman’s mind distorts and bends to begin her decline into ‘madness’.

This imagery also ties into the costumes.  The entire cast wears white/cream pants and tan/yellowish tops so they too blend into the wall paper and even though the cast surrounds the playing area quite often, they also become non-obtrusive.  The set and costumes being combined in this manner really enhances the production both visually and thematically. 

Again it is wonderful to see such a young group of theatre professionals developing such an incredible theatrical experience.  Please try to catch it.  This production continues to run through July 14, 2007 at the Stables Theatre.  Tickets are $10 so call 248-9517 for reservations.