“One Flea Spare” preys on the public’s latest favorite obsession: infection.
Set in a house quarantined from the rest of Europe during the Black Plague, the play deals with issues such as class, distortion and repressed sexuality, said Director Ryan Jason Cook.
“I love producing and directing shows that have a lot going on underneath or below the surface of the actual text,” Cook said. “This show in particular has so much going on layer-wise than what you see and hear, and that’s what appeals to me.”
The play opens Friday and runs through Nov. 22 at The Filling Station. Tickets for opening night are already sold out, Cook said.
The play is Cook’s third community theatre production. Community theatre can be challenging because those who produce the plays have day jobs competing for their attention.
“In Albuquerque, there is a lot of community theatre that you go to and you’re like, ‘Man that wasn’t worth it, it was rough,’” Cook said. “Community theatre across the world is that way. I am trying to change people’s thoughts on that. If you come to see my show, I promise it’ll be worth your money.”
“One Flea Spare” focuses on an upper middle class couple quarantined in their house because of the plague. Their solitude is interrupted by a young sailor and 12-year-old girl looking for shelter. A sentry, whose duty it is to keep everyone in the house for 28 days, completes the character list.
Because the play was first produced 15 years ago, Cook said he asked his actors to reinvent the production to make it fresh and original.
“I’ve talked to the actors about it like this: Always try to go for the abnormal choice,” he said. “Some of the lines, instead of reading them like normal beings … we twist and distort all those lines so it gives a little bit of a different twist, so it leaves a kind of a surprise for each character. As an audience, you’re trying to get to know these characters, and they do a little something different here and there that throws you off the track. It hopefully keeps you in the course of the play trying to figure these characters out.”
Actor Shangreaux Lagrave, who plays the sentry, Kabe, said it was a long process to create an original character.
“You just have to go and develop some back story for the character based on the content of the piece,” he said. “There’s a lot of work involved with it, quite frankly. You’re thinking about this all the time. We take those experiences from our work life, our personal life, people we’ve known. ”
Actress Barbara Geary, who plays Darcy Snelgrave, said while her character is motivated by interactions with other characters, the setting also motivates her distress.
“For one thing, the world is starting to turn upside down with the plague and all that circumstance,” she said. “Even though they have been locked in their house, it’s still kind of a refuge, because it is their house. But then these strangers come in and everything just turns upside down.”
Cook designed the set with little outside help in construction. He said it took about 40 hours to construct, and it’s crucial to the play’s message.
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“The set is very particular,” Cook said. “My concept of the show in general is distorted secrets, so there are partially broken away walls so people can see through. Then there’s a hint of distortion, so nothing’s perfect.”
Geary said the play ultimately appeals to the most basic condition of the plague: fear.
“It’s interesting to go into the realm where (the plague) is very present in those people’s lives,” Geary said. “I know a fair amount about the period. You’ll see the descriptions of what’s going on in the streets. The stuff going on the streets is pretty unbelievable, and it’s really true. It’s what really happened. In a way, they are lucky to be inside the house.”
In addition to the unease caused by the play’s distorted nature, its sexual tension might offend some people, Cook said.
However, he said the artists’ job should stretch beyond entertaining an audience.
“Even people who can hold their own will squirm just because of the positions that people are placed in,” he said. “I enjoy doing plays like this just because it pushes the envelope. I like doing the plays that cause you to think. With a play like this, my hope is that people will talk about it days and weeks after … By me causing you to feel that, I’ve done my job. We’re not just here to entertain but to educate.”
Lagrave said acting as the sentry, who is also a pedophile, was a conflicting experience for him.
“You bring some life experience to the role you play, but in the end, you’re playing someone else — you are trying to be somebody else,”
Lagrave said. “If you are a little bit embarrassed about something a character is doing, you are probably bringing a little bit too much of yourself to the piece, instead of taking on the role of the character.”
Audience members who bring an orange will get $2 off the ticket price, and those who dress like a sailor will get $5 off, Cook said. These elements relate to the play, and offering a discount should get the audience more involved with the show, Cook said.
Cook said he is well aware of the fear of swine flu infection in modern society, but seeing this play should alleviate some of that concern.
“Seeing something like this, as an audience member, you can realize as humans we can defeat anything,” he said. “This plague took out half of London, but look at London now. It’s booming and it’s still alive. It just lets today’s audience know that swine flu may come and knock at our door, but as a human race we’ll still be around a hundred years from now.”
*“One Flea Spare”
The Filling Station
1024 4th St. S.W.
General Admission: $16
Student Discount: $12
www.FillingStationABQ.com*
