Within every human being there resides the hunger for connection—to know and be known—soul to soul. And yet in today’s culture of the common man there is a profound absence of its fulfillment. Luna, a multi-media performance piece created by Maria Lexa and the Sun & Moon Ensemble, now premiering at the Ashby Stage in Berkeley, explores these isolated prisons of our own making and the inner journey that one must take to free the spirit from its bonds.
With a unique theatrical style and artistry that combines live music, dance, drama and puppetry, Luna ushers us into a poetic world that is at once visually stunning and viscerally stirring. Told through the eyes of two protagonists—a male warrior descendant of the highland clans of Scotland, and an Italian woman—the embodiment of the traditions of the Sicilian Tarantella—their story becomes more than metaphor; it becomes a lucid, aboriginal dreaming, calling to the buried archetypes within our psyche.
Valentina Emeri, graduate of the National Academy of Dramatic Arts “Silvio D’Amico” in Rome is a master of illusion. With chameleon-like control of her physical instrument, she bewitches our perceptions, transforming from woman to demon, to bird, to moon, to even Lady Macbeth within the blink of an eye.
Michael McCamish, a member of the ensemble since 2002, is also breathtaking to behold. Becoming warrior prince, eagle, ancestral grandmother, and “Thane of Cawdor” among others, he too draws us in and makes us feel the glories of the physical form, capturing the essence and presence of spirit within his work. If there is one drawback to his performance, it is easily forgiven when his body astonishingly conveys what his vocal inflection sometimes does not. In such a lyrical world, the voice must be used with as much musicality as the body.
Isadora Duncan award-recipient Allen Willner returns as Lighting Designer and does some amazing work, becoming an integral part of the piece; as do Bay Area composer/musician Eugene Jun and the Ensemble’s longtime collaborator percussionist Orlando Obligacion who provide live accompaniment. Director Maria Lexa launched her professional career at the renowned Odin Theater in Holstebro, Denmark, under the mentorship of director Eugenio Barba, and after presiding over six international women’s culture festivals, a series of theatre educational projects, and a professional touring company, returned to the US in 2001 to form the Sun & Moon Ensemble. The troupe has appeared regularly at SF’s Yerba Buena Gardens and other outdoor venues, but now bring their art form into the intimate settings of an indoor theatre; and the results are extraordinary!
Luna continues until Feb. 26 at the Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby (at MLK Jr.), Berkeley. Luna then plays from March 2-12 at the NOHspace, 2840 Mariposa Street, SF. Tickets for both venues, call 621-7978. More info about the Sun & Moon Ensemble, go to www.sunandmoonensemble.org
