GEEK GAL OUT! Caroline Cao Reviews ÉLÉPHANT: Dark and Enchanting!
By Caroline Cao | July 30, 2018 | Entertainment
Penned by playwright Eva MeiLing Pollit with phantasmagorical flair, ├ël├⌐phant – now playing at┬áClemente Soto Velez Cultural Center -┬á┬áis harrowing like a dark nursery rhyme where a false sense of comfort cannot conceal darker implications. A Planet Connections Festivity production, ├ël├⌐phant covers the plight of prostitutes through the wide-eyes of a girl who hasnΓÇÖt accepted she is growing up too fast.
It is the late 1800s in France and 13-year-old Clérése learns the hard way that fantasies, while they offer a self-medication of sorts, can expire. From dreams of honey streams, a momentary lover who impregnates and deserts her and misogynists exploiting her vulnerabilities, Clérése must circumnavigate the liminal world between childhood and womanhood as she remains cloistered in the Parisian brothel where her mother works. While Pollit does not shirk from the grit, her text also demonstrates a faith in the preservationist potential of both Clérése and her overworked mother.
With a minimalist set comprising of plain furniture or sheets, costume designer Allison Crutchfield emanates a sense of time with striking and gentle color palettes, such as the stain of blood when Clérése discovers her period. Co-directors Akia Squiti
Raiane Cantisano and Ita Korenzecher portray the daughter Clérése and the mother respectively and have a rapport. A special note for Laura Lamberti who contributes a solid business-as-usual austerity as the Madame of the brothel.
Catch it and prepare to cry. Final Performances are this Tuesday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m. and Friday, Aug. 3 at 9:30 p.m.
