"The Bewitched Child" breaks boundaries in the Black Box
There’s something to be said for a child’s ability to open their mind to the spirit of imagination; but when does one come to terms with reality? In Viterbo University’s production of “The Bewitched Child” (L’enfant et les Sortilèges), the audience enters the room of a rambunctious young child, a child who lashes out and lacks a sense of respect for his world and its attributes. In response to the child’s behavior, the background characters and scenery come to life to haunt the child. They do so in a vivid dream, which is a method of teaching him to acknowledge the inherent value placed upon everything.
This production took place Saturday, Oct. 5, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 6, at 2 p.m., and was the first Chamber Opera to appear in the La Croix Black Box Theatre. In response to the unique dynamic of the space, Ella Rose Mahlum, a junior vocal performance major who played The Child, said she felt as if she was “able to include the audience in the story” and embrace the new-found energy of her character.
The intimate nature of the space allowed the performers and audience members to participate in a fluid cycle of energy exchange over the course of the production, which facilitated the flow of the storyline.
In addition to the original experience of performing in the Black Box Theatre, Gabriella Kuehn, a sophomore vocal performance major who played A Country Lass and was a member of the ensemble, spoke about the specificity of the characters. She explained how the intricate storyline paired with the musical score allowed her to explore the depth of her roles in a new way.
Lydia Mackie, a fifth-year senior vocal performance and music education double major who played Mama in addition to being a member of the ensemble, built on Kuehn’s statement. Mackie stressed the importance of having a sound musical foundation that can structurally support the added layers of this production. This facilitates the development of honest interactions among performers, clear utilization of props, and other elements of performance. “Everything is reacting to each other,” Mackie explained. “We are one unit.”
The connection the cast had to this particular production and to each other was visible to the members of the audience. Their chemistry truly showcased the dedication each of the cast members had to telling this story in an honest manner. To quote Kuehn, “It was definitely a memorable production because of the unique quality of the story.”