'Calliope' worth seeking out at Barn

The Barn Theater’s latest offering — “Calliope” — takes the audience on a musical-socioeconomical-political odyssey.

Much of the dialogue in the play is quite good and the songs are enjoyable. The play opened Friday night and is the final offering of the season for the community theater before its awards show — the Hosscars — on June 26.
“Calliope” runs at Porterville’s Barn Theater through May 23.

Performances start at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings, with Sunday matinees at 2:15 p.m. There will be a matinee brunch at 12:30 p.m. on May 16. Tickets for the matinee brunch are $12. General tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, students, and children younger than 12.

A troupe of circus performers — Bopierre, Ettiene, Pavlo, and Katrina — are trapped in an impoverished country in the middle of a civil war. When they help Marina — a pregnant young woman along the road — mixed emotions increase trouble for the troupe. Marcelle, chief of the secret police, abducts Marina, who chooses to stay with him.

The performers then realize that they must work together or perish. Meanwhile, Marina must choose her own destiny. Ultimately, in this melodrama, good triumphs over evil, but the story leaves some questions, and the audience wondering where the “calliope,” is.

A calliope is a musical instrument that was often used in a circus that produces sound by sending a gas, or steam through large whistles, originally locomotive whistles. It could be mounted on a carved, painted or gilded wagon that was pulled by horses, or it could be a small enclosed manually operated instrument.

The story has relevance to women today, and shows how women now, and in the past, have to weigh the pros and cons of a relationship, whether living amidst poverty or affluence.

“Love has its moments,” said Katrina, the fortune teller, played by Terri Tate, “But poverty lasts forever.”
Later she says to Bopierre, played by Steve Ross, as he puts on a cheerful front, while armies are fighting continuously around them, “I live in the real world.”

In the next act, Marcelle, chief of police enters, “The world is filled with infamy, and that is ‘job security,’ for a man like me!”

According to Ralph Bourne, who directs the play, and performs the part of Marcelle, “Calliope,’ takes place in an eastern country, like Armenia, or Turkistan, where many people were displaced from their homelands after WWI. Bourne says that the story is relevant to countries like Iran, Lebanon, or Iraq, presently, where there are secret police monitoring and controlling the movement of the population.

“The story has some political commentary,” says Bourne, “but I chose it, because it was a good story and points out things regarding romance and love that are thought provoking.”

Sara Lee Gershon, who was sitting in the audience, commented, “The story is disturbing, yet it is hopeful. It is very relevant to life.” She said she thought the philosophy was excellent, and particularly like the dialogue in a song, “Where was the child, we left behind.”

Etienne, “The World’s Ugliest Man,” is played by Marty Ferguson, who has been at the Barn Theater for two seasons. His character delivers a line in “Calliope,” that is very existential; a philosophy that stresses an individual’s responsibility in his or her life choices. “Only lies make life poetic, and without poetry, why live?”
At the end of the story, Etienne realizes life is only worth living with love. Ferguson’s character is reminiscent of the Elephant man, Cyrano de Bergerac, and the Phantom of the Opera.

“This is one of the better shows I’ve been in,” said Art Crafts, “I enjoyed participating, and working backstage.” Crafts said that he’s been acting since he was 12 years old. “They’ve never been able to get me off the stage,” he said with a smile.
“It was really fun being in the play,” said Javier Garcia, who played Pavlo, the tightrope walker. Garcia —  like Kristi Rogers who plays Marina in “Calliope” — is a sophomore at Harmony Magnet Academy, and studying performing arts at the school. Garcia has been in eight plays at the barn theater, while “Calliope,” is Rogers’ first performance.

“I think this play is a challenge,” she said, “and fun at the same time.”

Order tickets online at www.barntheater.porterville.com, or buy them at the door. Reservations for the brunch are required by Wednesday, May 12. Call 310-7046 for reservations. There are group discounts available.

“Calliope” was adapted from the novella “Histories of the Romance,” by Ernst Torvay. Remy Panciotti wrote the book with music by Jan Beckman.

Jamie Hunt is a freelance reporter. Send e-mail in care of recorder@portervillerecorder.com.