Villette simply needs to be seen
Debo Balogun and Mi Kang in Lookingglass Theatre’s Villette. Photo by Liz Lauren
Lookingglass Theatre always presents beauty on stage but with their current world premiere production Villette, the company focused on the beautiful flaws of being human. Based on Charlotte Bronte’s book by the same name, and written by artistic associate Sara Gmitter, Villette tells the tale of friendship, survival, love, freedom, happiness, and the turns our lives take all while trying to decide if we should be ourselves or be the person someone else wants us to be. And who gets the honor of truly seeing the raw truth behind the facade?
The play begins with an introduction to an admittedly unreliable narrator and main character, Lucy Snowe (played by Mi Kang). As she unravels what is about to begin, she lets us in on the fact that certain details won’t be shared, some fragments will be missing by choice. After all, we are in charge of the story we tell and the story we believe. Lucy is leaving home after an unnamed tragedy strikes her family. With no destination in mind, she heads for France with not much more than hope and courage. Along Lucy’s voyage to find a life of her own, a place of belonging, we meet an ensemble of characters all pivotal to her tale. An annoyance turned acquaintance turned friend, Ginevra Fanshawe (Mo Shipley), is the first to steer Lucy’s path to Villette. Lucy works as a nanny and then a teacher at the school that Ginevra attends. The school’s proprietress, Madame Beck (Helen Joo Lee), and her cousin, Paul Emmanuel (Debo Balogun), a fellow teacher, each see something special in Lucy. Most everyone who she encounters does. But what they see and what is, is not always the case, even for a character like Lucy’s who always seems to be honest and forthright. In a moment of feeling too unmoored, Lucy stumbles into long lost kin. Her godmother, Mrs. Bretton (Renee Lockett) and her son, John Bretton (Ronald Roman-Melendez), anchor Lucy to a place just when she was feeling she did not belong. But what is expected in return for their graciousness? In a world of prospects and connections, where does one find their true friends?
Under the direction of Tracy Walsh, the cast weaves in and out of a simple yet stunning stage designed by scenic designer Yu Shibagaki and lighting designer John Culbert. Panels slide across the stage revealing new scenes with minimal flare. The biggest reveal being the garden with hanging lanterns and bottles filled with lights and found objects. The focus was rightly so on the people. The stage gave them space to react, to reveal, and to connect.
Lucy’s culminating moments are what showcase the human spirit to persevere despite the past. There is a supposed haunting at the school, a nun is said to roam the gardens. Lucy encounters the ghost multiple times, and even sees the specter while with Paul. And like with her own personal ghosts, the presence of Paul, someone who she comes to hold very dear, lessens the fear and causes even the most stunning of scenes to be endurable. Paul is the only one that Lucy encounters that sees her for who she is and in this seeing Paul helps break down the barriers that Lucy has built to keep friends and lovers far enough away to not cause pain. The play itself was Lucy’s own fourth wall. The heart break and tragedy, the painful moments, were kept at a distance, almost lacking depth, in a purposeful way. Lucy’s story she tells showcased how we all move forward despite it all thanks to the lies we tell ourselves, the tales we edit, and the facts we shift or allow to fade away.
The barely mentioned tragedy that sent Lucy out into world alone and scarred was this plays Chekhov’s gun for the misfortune we see unfold at the end of the play. And yet, you will leave refreshed, welcoming of a new friend, or a new start, ready to realize that no matter what costume you wear, your true confidants will see the real and simple you no matter what and adore it even more so. Villette runs through April 2 at Lookingglass Theatre. For more information and tickets, visit www.lookingglasstheatre.org.
