FALLEN ANGEL PAYS VISIT TO THE VALLEY.Byline: Alejandro Guzman valleynews.com CSUN CSUN California State University Northridge Theatre Department's rendition ren·di·tion n. 1. The act of rendering. 2. An interpretation of a musical score or a dramatic piece. 3. A performance of a musical or dramatic work. 4. A translation, often interpretive. of A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, a story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Gar·cí·a Már·quez , Gabriel Born 1928. Colombian-born writer known especially for his novel One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967). He won the 1982 Nobel Prize for literature. , comes to life in the Valley with a wonderful performance by a dynamic cast, in addition to clever costume designs Costume design is the design of the appearance of the characters in a theater or cinema performance. This usually involves designing or choosing clothing, footwear, hats and head dresses for the actors to wear, but it may also include designing masks, makeup or other unusual forms, and a fitting set. Adapted for the stage by Nilo Cruz Nilo Cruz is an Cuban-American playwright, the first Latino to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Born in Matanzas, Cuba in 1960, Cruz immigrated to the "Little Havana" area of Miami in 1970 on a Freedom Flight, and eventually became a US citizen. , this story takes place in a small South American village close to the Caribbean Sea Caribbean Sea (kâr'ĭbē`ən, kərĭb`ēən), tropical sea, c.970,000 sq mi (2,512,950 sq km), arm of the Atlantic Ocean, Central America. , where two youngsters, Fefe, played by Jennifer Lui, and Momo, played by Max Rosenblum, come across what seems to be a fallen angel -- a very old fallen angel. The old man, played by Jesse Bethune, is named Afar by the children because they know he comes from far away, although they're not exactly sure from where. Lui and Rosenblum portray their characters with great energy and enthusiasm -- qualities that are required to depict the innocence, excitement and compassion of these two characters. The kids pretty much adopt Afar without consent from their parents. The townsfolk are skeptical about Afar's true origins. Some believe he is indeed a fallen angel. The children's parents have their own thoughts. Their mother Elisenda, Deborah Edwards, believes Afar is an angel who has come to take away her youngest child, a sick baby. Her husband Pelayo, Matt McKenna, sees Afar as a freak and a potential business opportunity. He begins to exploit Afar, charging the townsfolk to approach the angel and ask him for help with their personal problems. McKenna is successful in playing a greedy man who is only thinking of his personal gain. He also does a good job of bullying Bullying Chowne, Parson Stoyle terrorizes parish; kidnaps children. [Br. Lit.: The Maid of Sker, Walsh Modern, 94–95] Claypole, Noah bully; becomes thief in Fagin’s gang. [Br. Lit. his family and the townsfolk. But when townsfolk find no solution to their problems, they accuse ac·cuse v. ac·cused, ac·cus·ing, ac·cus·es v.tr. 1. To charge with a shortcoming or error. 2. To charge formally with a wrongdoing. v.intr. Afar of being an imposter and accuse Pelayo of being a crook. No longer a profit to Pelayo, he decides to do away with him. But the children, concerned with Afar's health, protest. They want to nurture NURTURE. The act of taking care of children and educating them: the right to the nurture of children generally belongs to the father till the child shall arrive at the age of fourteen years, and not longer. Till then, he is guardian by nurture. Co. Litt. 38 b. and help him achieve angel status once more. Lui and Rosenblum do a good job of depicting sincere concern for Afar. The characters' innocence keeps them thinking about what they can do for the angel, rather than what the angel can do for them. Costumes designs by Garry D. Lennon and genuine dialogue helped transform the actors into true South Americans, while scene designs by Cesar Holguin took the audience out of Northridge and far off into a small Caribbean town. See the show The play A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings plays April 20-22 and 27-29 at CSUN's Little Theatre. CSUN is located at 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge. For tickets and information call (818) 677-2488. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Momo, left, and Fefe, right try to communicate with Afar, in A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, playing at CSUN's Little Theatre. William Taylor/valleynews.com user |
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