Successful Suspense on THE MOORS
I hope you had a chance to see THE MOORS at Kennedy Theatre’s Earle Ernst Lab Theatre. The Hawaiʻi premiere of Jen Silverman’s play, directed by Master of Fine Arts candidate Kat Altman, was a wonderful example of how careful world-building and style can culminate in a suspenseful and enjoyable evening of theatre.
Before going further, I should note that I am friends with the director and several members of the cast and crew. It is for this reason that I never write reviews – I am too close to so many people in this community and so I choose to keep my opinions of my colleague’s shows private. However, I feel comfortable writing this review because it was requested after sharing some of my opinions with the director.
THE MOORS takes place in the 1840s and centers on two sisters, Agatha and Huldey, living together in an old house out on the moors of England. Agatha (Emily Steward) is a stern and controlling woman who has earned the contempt of her sister (Kela Neil) and their maid, Marjory (Hulita Drake). Emilie, a young woman with a troublesome past arrives to accept a new position and to pursue a romance with Agatha and Huldey’s brother, who she believes was writing her erotic letters while in the process of being hired as their governess. Emilie (Emily Wright), with her sweet singing voice and initial naiveté, quickly finds herself swept up in the dark fantasies and desires of Agatha, Huldey, and Marjory.
Silverman’s script is full of secrets: what really happened to Agatha and Huldey’s brother? Who exactly is Marjory and why does she have a different name and personality with the literal change of a hat? How far will Huldey go to achieve fame and recognition? It’s not fair for a review to spoil these secrets, but I bring them up to mention a part of the play that did not work for me: the subplot between Mastiff (Agatha and Huldey’s dog) and a Moor Hen. Christopher Apina (Mastiff), Chelsea Cox (Moor Hen), and Altman did fine work in staging and performing this storyline but, for me, it was clear how this story would end from the moment it began; its predictability and auxiliary nature to the main storyline gave the entire subplot an air of padding.
Overall, the actors were fantastic: Kela Neil clearly relished playing Huldey and her obsessive desire to be noticed – and we were all invited to join her for the ride. Hulita Drake crafted clear distinctions between Marjory’s multiple personalities, giving her a mesmerizing quality that had the audience excited every time she entered the stage. Emily Steward gave Agatha depth by grounding her prickliness with a warmth and desire that revealed itself as the play unfolded. Emily Wright brought a deceptively devious innocence to her Emilie. And, Christopher Apina as Mastiff and Chelsea Cox as Moor Hen did great work to bring out certain physicalities of their animal characters to remind us that they were not only a dog and a bird, but a dog and a bird that could ponder the big questions about love and life.
I greatly appreciated that Altman and her cast worked to establish a style without being overly stylized – everyone existed within the same world, but one that was not quite realism as we know it. This allowed the moments of self-awareness, such as Emilie noting that the set hadn’t changed even though they had moved into a different room, to feel part of the mystery and magic of the place. However, it also meant that an ‘80’s-style rock number towards the end of the show felt sorely out of place and broke the world that Altman and her cast had carefully constructed.
THE MOORS was produced alongside another Master of Fine Arts thesis production, THE MAIDS by Jean Genet and directed by Tyler Haugen. Altman and Haugen’s productions alternated performances but they shared the same set and lighting plot. This did not negatively impact the performance in any way. The tennis-court arrangement and scenic elements all felt as if it were designed for this particular production. Altman’s directorial compositions and movements beautifully illustrated relationships and heightened tension while feeling natural and appropriate to the world of the play. The beginning-to-end aural atmosphere by Emma Torgrimson and the cool tones provided by lighting designer Joseph Governale immersed the audience. The period-inspired costumes by Jesse Hoyhtya helped to establish a sense of time and place, but historical purists may have left disappointed by the lack of exacting accuracy.
I hope you had a chance to see THE MOORS and the opportunity to celebrate the excellent work of Altman, her cast, the design team, and the crew that made for a successful evening of suspense.
Written by Alexander Munro.