She: Immortal Witch-Queen of a Lost World
She: Immortal Witch-Queen of a Lost World, a production from Hardcover Theater opens November 7th at the Bryant-Lake Bowl. Based on the novel by H. Rider Haggard, She is a Hardcover premiere of a text never before adapted for the stage. It was one of the best-selling books of the late nineteenth century and a classic example of the "lost world" stories that were immensely popular at the time. She is an epic fantasy adventure with spectacular and exotic African settings, magic, and a cast of (if one were to approach it literally) thousands.
It was adapted and directed by Steve Schroer, Hardcover's artistic director. He had this to say about staging an epic novel in an intimate space.
"Hardcover’s bag of tricks can solve the staging problems that the text presents. I always try to do something different with each production, and with this one I was trying to push some of our storytelling devices – chorus, direct address to the audience, mime & stylized movement – to the limit.
The result is a narrative bullet train that covers 360 pages of a Victorian novel in a little over an hour. It’s kind of like an action movie onstage, or a Classic Comics retelling of the story, a little campy but also serious. Although the actors are definitely getting a kick out of it, I think they sometimes feel that they’re not really in a play – they’re flying on the back of a strange new beast."
In this tale, three Englishmen travel to Africa where they encounter a strange culture ruled by an irresistible woman with supernatural powers who claims to be more than 2,000 years old. Packed with action, suspense, comedy and even a bit of philosophy, the play boasts provocative themes.
The production features David Tufford, Roneet Aliza Rahamim, Tim Uren, Cody Sorensen, Marit Geston, Mike Davidovich and Paul Rutledge.
When: November 7th-22nd, Thursdays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m.
Where: Bryant-Lake Bowl Theater, 810 W. Lake St., Minneapolis.
Tickets: $14-$18 (pay what you can); $12 with Fringe button
Reservations: call 612-825-8949
or visit Bryant Lake Bowl
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