It’s been a sizzling summer for Williamsburg’s theater scene, from the Williamsburg Players’ acclaimed interpretation of “Next to Normal” to children’s theaters putting fun spins on the likes of “The Lion King” and “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” That creative spark continues with Panglossian Productions’ latest, an original work called “The Egypt Play.”
“The story is so very interesting,” said director Ed Whitacre.
The troupe’s co-founder and co-artistic director, Tori Keenan-Zelt, wrote the play. The dark comedy follows a British mother-daughter duo traveling through 1880s Egypt. The mother, Sylvia, seeks an exciting escape from Victorian society; her daughter simply wants to go back to her normal life. They team up with two men seeking fortune, and surprising lessons await all involved as reality diverges from expectations.
“Their needs are frustrated by reality,” Whitacre said. “I thought it was a great contrast of the conflict between fantasy and reality. It’s about the conflict between natural elements and manmade elements.”
Whitacre said he was intrigued by Keenan-Zelt’s “very, very absurd” characters, which lambast concepts of Victorian womanhood and ideals of masculinity.
“I think it teaches us to give a different perspective on life,” he said. “It’s helping us to acknowledge that sometimes we take life too seriously. It helps for us to laugh at it.”
Fantasy and reality
Whitacre said one of the reasons Panglossian picked the play was because it was an original work, in an effort to expose the community to something new. In than vein, he also cast several first-time actors in various roles.
“There’s an element of we’re not quite sure to react to it,” Whitacre said. “It helps us to question ‘should.'”
The play also tackles the notion of prejudice in a unique way. Sylvia expects a grand adventure out of Egypt, almost as if the country’s people owe it to her. What she finds is quite different.
“It also parallels what one person from one culture expects from another one and how we just assume that our needs are going to be met,” Whitacre said. “I think it helps show us how to question our prejudices.”
To emphasize the subverted expectations, the play incorporates surreal elements like puppets portraying certain characters, the image of water represented by fabric and the gusts of wind generated by blowing through tubes.
“There’s this line that’s blurred between fantasy and reality, what’s real and not real,” Whitacre said. “They’re things that make us look at the situation differently.”
The endeavor aims to facilitate a discussion, and Whitacre said he may host one with the audience following the show.
“I hope they take away just being able to let themselves experience interesting images and concepts just for the sake of experiencing them, and make connections to their own lives about what they think about other cultures and their hopes and dreams,” he said.
Birkenmeyer can be reached by phone at 757-790-3029.
Want to go?
“The Egypt Play” runs at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and again Aug. 25-26, as well as 2 p.m. Sunday and again Aug. 27. Tickets are $16 in advance, $18 at the door and $10 for students with a valid ID. For tickets and more info, visit panglossian.org.
