In the song "Hawaii ’78," lyricist Mickey Ioane ponders how 19th-century alii would feel if they saw contemporary Hawaii. The Kennedy Theatre production of "Big Love" prompts similar thoughts regarding the Greek playwright Aeschylus.
Charles L. Mee’s contemporary fantasy "Big Love" takes its premise from a play Aeschylus wrote more than 2,400 years ago. The play, which has been reworked as a musical by director Ian Belton and composer Brendan Connelly, is described as a "loose adaptation." What would Aeschylus make of this "loose adaptation" of the story he crafted with such care?
‘BIG LOVE’
>> Where: Kennedy Theatre, UH-Manoa campus
>> When: 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
>> Cost: $25 ($22 seniors, military and UH faculty and staff; $16 UHAA members; $13 students; $5 UHM students)
>> Info: 944-2697 or www.etickethawaii.com
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The musical numbers include Lesley Gore’s 1964 anthem "You Don’t Own Me," the Rodgers & Hart classic "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and performances on ukulele.
Mee sets his take on Aeschylus’ tale in contemporary Italy. Fifty women, whose parents have arranged marriages for them, flee Greece and find temporary refuge in the palatial mansion of a wealthy Italian named Piero (Nygell Halvorsen). The story focuses on three of the fugitives.
Olympia (Mareva Minerbi) is a traditionalist who enjoys being a woman and being admired by men. The outspoken Thyona (Kaitlin Souza) defines all men as inherently evil oppressor-scum. Lydia (Karissa Murrell Myers) doesn’t want to be forced into marriage, but believes men and women can be equal partners in a consensual relationship.
The 50 jilted grooms arrive via helicopter, expecting Piero to act in accordance with international law and respect their right to enforce their contracts.
Constantine (Harold Wong), Thyona’s fiance, is a strict legalist. He has a valid contract and expects it to be enforced.
Nikos (Treyvon Love) is in love with Lydia but wants her to marry him of her own free will. A scene where Nikos hems and haws as he tries to explain himself to an impatient Lydia is one of the few humorous moments in the show.
Olympia’s would-be husband, Oed (Shaun Dikilato), is the strong, silent, muscular type. His most memorable contribution to the conversation comes when he brandishes round saw blades like martial arts weapons and hurls them at a wall.
Other characters include Piero’s shrewish and stereotypical Italian mother (Josephine Calvo), his stereotypical gay nephew Giuliano (Elvis Nguyen), and his ultra-chic house guests, Leo (Montana Rizzuto) and Eleanor (Sami Akuna).
Piero tries to negotiate a compromise. Maybe some of the women want to get married? Thyona says there will be no marriages. Period!
Minerbi, Souza and Murrell Myers are eloquent spokeswomen for the positions their characters represent. However, there are times when the production seems to be about performance for performance’s sake rather than Mee’s exploration of contemporary Western gender roles and the conflicting expectations society places on both sexes.
Some of the shtick is unnecessary.
The modern context is reenforced by references to Ken and Barbie, Vera Wang gowns and refugee groups such as "Kosovars, Ibos, Tutsis and boat people."
