Conveying fifty years of familial tragedy and political struggle in two hours is the definition of a theatrical challenge.
However, a small, dedicated ensemble manages to meet the challenge in the Vortex’s production of “The House of the Spirits.”
The play is Caridad Svich’s theatrical adaptation of Isabel Allende’s novel “La Casa de los Espiritus,” set in a Latin American country reminiscent of Chile, but unspecified (likely a choice on the author’s part to avoid political controversy).
“The House of the Spirits” chronicles the lives of the Trueba family and their country through half a century, illustrating monumental tragedies on both a personal and national scale. The ambitious Vortex production captures the delicate intertwining of Allende’s characters’ fates, stirring up a thought-provoking night of theater.
The story is told chiefly through the family’s youngest child, Alba. A political prisoner in the present, she evokes the memories of her family’s past, telling the audience their story to escape her own present torment.
Actress Liz Chavez is powerful as Alba, lending dignity and depth to a challenging, complex role. Alba watches with us as the tragedies, sins and mistakes of her family’s past multiply and ultimately lead to her own suffering.
Though Alba tells the story of her family, her focus is on her grandfather, Esteban Trueba. After his fiancé is poisoned, he becomes a bitter, unfeeling land baron with violent sexual impulses. Mario Moreno adeptly captures Esteban’s monstrous evolution and his tentative hold on his humanity, or what’s left of it.
Clara, his fiance’s younger sister, eventually marries Esteban and tries to heal his wounded soul. They have a daughter, Blanca (Alba’s mother), but Esteban’s unresolved pain only festers as he engineers his own tragedy through a pattern of cruelty that drives his daughter away from him.
Most of the supporting cast is quite strong, including Ed Chavez as the young idealist Pedro, and Benjamin Liberman as Esteban’s revenge-driven, illegitimate son.
Some performers, however, don’t quite fit every role they’re asked to play, and worse, seem uncertain of what to do with those characters. This leaves one wishing the director had opted for a slightly larger cast, or given more guidance to the actors.
Director Valli Marie Rivera does bolster the acting with live music and video projections that add dimension to the play’s world.
The production struggles to adapt a complex novel into a two-hour show. Those who have read the novel may find some omissions disappointing, or even strange. The play itself takes a while to get going, and its leisurely pace probably works better on the page, but over time the play comes full circle to captivate the audience.
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“The House of the Spirits”
by Caridad Svich
Runs until Dec.18
Friday, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, 2p.m.
The Vortex Theatre
general admission $15
student rush $10
vortexabq.org
