Thursday, October 16, 1997
Irish troupe casts evil eye on atypical theatergoers
THEATER: Macnas mimes ancient legend, infuses it with vivid
sights, sounds
By Terry Tang
Daily Bruin Contributor
One set, a five-piece band, 10 actors. With just these elements,
the fantastic epic story of an evil three-eyed monster battling
Fate takes the stage.
Celebrated throughout Ireland, the theater troupe Macnas will
perform the California premiere of "Balor: The Legend of the Evil
Eye" at the Freud Playhouse on Friday and Saturday. Already well
known as the opening act for U2’s Zooropa ’93 tour, Macnas still
hopes to expose a new audience to its unique mime-and-movement
theater.
Anyone who plans to attend a performance of "Balor" is in store
for a vivid display of lights, eye-catching costumes and live
music. The character Balor, for instance, dons ghostly-white makeup
and dark eye shadow a la Marilyn Manson in addition to a huge
cloak. The production is inspired by the fantasy world of ancient
Irish legends.
Yet "Balor" also evokes poignant emotions through the actors’
body language as they play out the complex relationships between
their characters. Unlike text-based traditional Irish theater, the
work of Macnas follows a European style of street theater, without
dialogue.
"You watch the action to follow the story," explains Macnas
artistic director Rod Goodall. "It’s very easy to follow. It’s for
young and old, family, revolutionaries, whatever."
Facing dilemmas with destiny, life and death, the story of
"Balor" unfolds like a Greek myth as the title character attempts
to elude nature and the gods who have preordained Balor’s destiny.
A tyrannical cyclops who rules a race of people called the
Famorians, Balor’s reign appears indestructible until the birth of
his daughter, Eithne. A Druid predicts that Eithne will bear a son
who will eventually slay Balor. This leads to Eithne’s lonely
imprisonment in a guarded tower.
"Balor is the personification of evil," says Declan Gibbons, the
group’s manager of five years. "He swore if any man ever looked at
(Eithne), that he would kill him. He had an evil eye in the middle
of his forehead and if he looked at you with this eye, he could
kill you with the force from his gaze."
Background music plays another significant role in the narration
of the Irish tale. The band consists of a keyboard, drums, guitar,
saxophone and fiddle that is perched on the stage with the
performers. In Gibbons’ opinion, the music, entirely composed by
musical director John Dunne, is instrumental in telling the story
because it sets the mood for the actors during each scene.
"The actors very much respond and pace their performance on the
music. They’re inextricably linked. The musicians say they’re
following the actors and the actors say they’re following the
musicians," Gibbons says. "The whole base of it is that
relationship between the actors and the music which you just don’t
get with a recorded soundtrack. They can move or shorten or extend
pieces, depending on how the performance is going."
Macnas has also developed a reputation for rock-concert-style
special effects. Devices such as dry ice, smoke and strobe lights
create a stunning visual impact and add to the atmosphere of the
show. Yet Gibbons asserts special effects are secondary to the
story.
"The effects are basically there to add color and add dimension.
We have scene changes, but we don’t have set changes. Hopefully,
it’s not just a special-effects show. It’s a very human story and
it will appeal to people on an emotional level," Gibbons says.
Established in 1986 in Galway, Ireland, Macnas has grown into a
40-member troupe. They have entertained crowds not just in
theaters, but on television, in football stadiums and on the
streets. Their popularity has also brought them unique
opportunities such as touring with U2. Macnas was recruited to
encourage audience participation before the band appeared on stage.
This tour took the theater troupe through 43 shows and 16 countries
in a span of six months.
Box-office receipts, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the
Cultural Relations Committee, an Irish government-run arts
committee, help fund Macnas for their tours in and outside Ireland.
However, Gibbons admits it is not always easy to depend on just
those three.
"We explore different avenues of funding all the time for
training and performance. Like most theater companies, we work from
a desperate situation. But it’s what we want to do. So we keep at
it," Gibbons says.
The traveling troupe tries to dispel the myth that theater can
only be enjoyed by a select group of people. By purposely
performing in non-theatrical places such as school halls or unused
factories, Macnas reaches out to people who normally do not see
theater as something accessible.
"Theater in Ireland can tend to be elitist. There’s a
traditional theater audience and there are people who would never
dream of going to the theater. And what we’re saying is, ‘Listen,
come and see our show,’" Gibbons says. He refers to the troupe’s
streetside beginnings. "We’re saying, ‘If you enjoyed it on the
street, why not come in to a theater?’"
THEATER: Macnas will perform "Balor: The Legend of the Evil Eye"
Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Freud Playhouse. A CenterStage
lecture with the artistic and musical directors precedes the
performances at 7 p.m. Tickets are $22 and $9 with UCLA ID. For
more information call (310) 825-2101.UCLA Center for the Performing
Arts
Macnas combines Irish folklore and high-tech theatrics in
"Balor: The Legend of the Evil Eye."