Sheer metallic panels hang in front of the small Japanese house
on the set of Paragon Theatre’s lovely mystical production of “The
Sound of a Voice” by David Henry Hwang, starring Sheila Ivy
Traister (Woman) and Dale Li (Man).
The scene is Woman’s house, in a remote corner of the forest.
Christopher Wink’s scenic design, with the carefully-crafted house
and additional sheer panels suggesting forest trees, seems to
float, an illusion aided by Jen Orf’s lighting and occasional music
from a Shackuhachi flute, played by Michael Andrew Doherty.
The haunting Japanese fable, imaginatively directed by Warren
Sherrill, who also designed the sound, is enhanced with
choreography by Kim Robards. A pair of black-clad dancers/spirits
circle and swoop , carrying the audience from one scene to the
next, sliding shoji panels open and shut and occasionally
delivering props in a ceremonial manner. Robards or LaRana Skalicky
appears with male dancer Gregory Gonzales, who also choreographed
martial arts sequences in the play.
An aging Samurai appears at the Woman’s silent, lonely dwelling,
initially intending to kill her because she is believed to be a
witch. She invites him to tea (one can hear the tea pouring into
the cup here) and allows him to sleep outside her door. He is
restless because of the unaccustomed silence.
The next day, she feed him again and a relationship begins to
develop. She speaks of “the sound of a voice as it moves through
the air… time begins with the entrance of a visitor.” She notices
dawn and dark, but doesn’t keep track of days. Man hears a flute
playing during the night and assumes she is playing it.
She magically cares for a forever-fresh bouquet of flowers,
“brought in by visitors… I create a world which is outside the
realm of what you do.”
“They say a man cannot come without falling in love with you,”
man says as he prepares to leave her.
Park any preconceived notions at the door and let this 90
minutes of magic surround you. But hurry, because after this
weekend, June 5, it will vanish into thin air.
If you go:
“The Sound of a Voice” by David Henry Hwang, plays through June
5 at Paragon Theatre, 1387 S. Santa Fe Drive, Denver. (Between
Mississippi and Florida in the Foothills Design building, next to
McDonald’s). Performances: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays.
Tickets, 303-300-2210, paragontheatre.org.