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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 21, 1999)
Photos by Cati iarine Kendall h Luke Hamilton plays L John, Megan Smith plays Barbara, and Darlene Dadras plays the Daik Witch in the University Theatre’s ‘DarttoftheMoon.’ _ jT*> me University Theatre s production of Dark of the Moon’ evokes an Appalachian myth By Jack Clifford Oregon Daily Emerald here is no other place quite like the Appalachian Mountains. Snuggled up to the Eastern seaboard and ranging from Que bec to Alabama, that chain of ter rain is literally and figuratively shrouded in magic and myth. Something funky happens in those smoky hills, and the University Theatre production “Dark of the Moon” aims to let us in on the secret. Written in the early 1940s, this supernat ural love story is based on the ballad “Bar bara Allen,” which has its origins in the United King dom. The tale made it to the States sometime in the 17th century and of the 140-odd versions, one in particular describes a witchboy falling in love with Barbara Allen. The play’s authors, Howard Richardson and William Bemey, used that theme for their fable. Set in North Carolina, this performance of “Dark of the Moon” is true to the region’s culture, says director Joseph Gilg, right down to the back woods music and Southern dialect. But if you’re think ing the storyline sounds like Hank Williams, Jr. meets Loretta Lynn, leave your cliches at home. “These are people that would be stereotyped as ‘hillbillies,’ and it’s very easy to think of them as rural hicks,” Gilg muses in reference to the 24 characters who make up the cast. “Really, though, they’re trying to solve a very serious problem, and from our own per spectives and our own standards they may seem very unsophisticated about that. But we tried to approach them as real, three-dimen sional people, living, breathing, with hopes, desires and dreams and good thoughts.” The “very serious problem” is this rela tionship between Barbara Allen and the witchboy named John, who is granted his wish to become human so he can woo Bar bara. They eventually marry, then Barbara gives birth to a witchchild, whom her mid wives bum. The deeply religious communi ty finally helps Barbara break the spell over John, but with devastating consequences. “Dark of the Moon” premiered on Broadway in 1945 and was first produced one year later at the University under the direction of retired University theater professor Horace Robinson. This entire UT season has been a tribute to Robinson, with his former students directing plays he previously oversaw. Gilg was a stu dent during his mentor’s last two years as a full time faculty member in 1973-75. Gilg chose “Dark of the Moon” at least in part because of the play’s elaborate stage en vironment and the mood it creates. “I think the set is quite abstract, which is what I was going for,” he observes. “I like to refer to it as a good machine for acting, be cause it’s fun to move actors around. I’m able to put them in good positions relating to one another, and that always helps ad vance the dialogue with the audience.” ■ What ‘Dark of the Moon’ When: May 21-22 and 27-29 and June 4-5 at 8 p.m.; May 23 at 2 p.m. Where: Robinson Theatre in Villard Hall Tickets: $4.50 for students; $8 for faculty, staff, senior citizens and non-UO students; $10 for the general public. Matinee tickets are $5 for students, $10 for the general public. Call 346-4191. Another way to capture the crowd’s attention is through the play’s music. The selections not only pro vide atmosphere and local color, Gilg points out, but also commentary on the ac tion, the characters and the relationships in the play. “This is a culture where everybody is in some way a musician, where everybody plays an instrument,” adds Linda Danielson, who along with University folklore professor Dianne Dugaw, designed the play’s music. “We actually jettisoned the original music because it was a cross between Burl Ives and Rodgers and Ham merstein. The sound now grows out ot tne ac tion and is very organic to the culture.” The selections are what Danielson calls ‘traditional Southern mountain music,” with fiddles, banjos, guitars, and even an Ap palachian dulcimer providing the melodies. Of course, the third leg to any solid pro duction is a capable cast, and Gilg is im pressed with his collection of talent. “Luke Hamilton, who plays John, and Megan Smith as Barbara are very seasoned vet erans actors, and they usually make a director look very good,” he comments. “Rowan Mor rison, as Preacher Haggler, is doing a terrific job with a fire-and-brimstone approach If you have never experienced the myste rious qualities of the Appalachians, get ready for a surreality check, Gilg says. “People coming to the play from Eugene will in fact enter another world,” he surmis es. “But I think in terms of the story being told, they will be able to connect with those people and those problems and that effort to solve those problems.” Dark of the Moon ^Howard Richardsorn&Sj William Berney Directed by Joseph Gilg \ c A RobinsonThe^tre Production 11^21,22; 27, 28, 29; * Pm 5, 1999 •8:00 P.M. Special benefit matinee performance Sunday, May 23, 2 !\M. 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