Mindfulness Is Message in Multimedia ‘Albatross’
PHOTO BY CAROL GARDFARB
“Albatross,” a high-octane, adventure story and multi-media extravaganza, comes to Stage West at the Herberger Theater Center, March 16-26.
Inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic poem, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” “Albatross” blends multimedia technology with a fast-paced rollicking sea yarn to explore the themes of regret, isolation and the interconnected relationship between human beings and the natural world we inhabit. “Albatross” delivers a profound and relevant message about mindfulness and the effect of our thoughtless actions on all living things.
“Albatross” won two prestigious Elliot Norton Awards from the Boston Drama Critics Association and is currently on stage at one of New York City’s top off-Broadway theater, 59E59 Theater.
The show is produced by Valley resident Michael Seiden and Poet’s Theatre of Cambridge, Mass. and presented by Arizona Theatre Company.
Like Seiden, co-playwrights Matthew Spangler (“Kite Runner,” “Tortilla Curtain”) and star Benjamin Evett have Arizona Theatre Company connections. Arizona Theatre Company produced and premiered Spangler’s “Kite Runner” and Evett performed in the production of Freud’s “Last Session.”
WBUR (National Public Radio) in Boston wrote that “Evett’s performance (in ‘Albatross’) is spellbinding, Rick Lombardo’s direction is dynamic and focused, and the finely attuned production design serves as a living argument for the poetic possibilities of the theatrical form.”
The story follows an 18th-century sailor, cursed with immortality, who is thrust into the modern world. The audience sets sail in a spare but visually thrilling stagecraft. Immersed in this sensory otherworld, audiences come to find out who the Mariner is, why he must forever tell his story, and what he is searching for as he roams the earth.
Spangler describes the play as “very relevant” in light of the today’s world events. “The play asks that we be keenly present and cultivate an awareness of how nearly everything we do affects other people,” he said. “This idea, that all our fates are interconnected, provides something of a balance to an era of environmental degradation, increasing income disparity and radical individuality.”
Details: www.albatrosstheplay.net.
