蜜柚直播

Snakes become women. Women have super powers.

And the holy man? He鈥檚 not so holy after all.

The Rogue Theatre鈥檚 production of Mary Zimmerman鈥檚 鈥淭he White Snake鈥� is a breathtakingly beautiful production of a Chinese fable that speaks to the power of love.

It is also a testament to theatrical storytelling. When it rains, strips of blue silk drop out of the sky. A backlit parasol slowly carried across the stage is the rising and setting moon. The snakes are puppets 鈥� when they aren鈥檛 women 鈥� and a long stick is an oar, a counter, a boat.

Visually, 鈥淭he White Snake鈥� shimmers.

Which would be fine in itself, but this production is more thanks to a cast that embraces the magic and the story.

鈥淭he White Snake鈥� is an ancient Chinese legend about a wise snake who takes the shape of a woman for a day. As fate would have it, it is that day she meets and falls in love with a young man. A monk recognizes the snake in her and is pretty grossed out at the inter-species coupling, and so he fights to save the young man, who has yet to know his love鈥檚 true identity.

The play oozes magic, and director Cynthia Meier had no trouble performing it. She choreographed a play that used imagination and stellar actors to bring an old tale to vivid life.

Zimmerman infused the story with plenty of humor, but the heart of the story is solemn and dramatic: When real love exists, false fronts are foolish.

Meier鈥檚 cast embraced every lavish, luscious bit of the play. Patty Gallagher took on the role of the White Snake with a grace and determination that gave the character full breath. Holly Griffith grabbed many of the humor lines as White Snake鈥檚 companion, Green Snake, who is many hundred years younger than her friend. Griffith gave the character a perfect impetuousness.

White Snake鈥檚 love interest, Xu Xian, had depth and sensitivity in Ryan Parker Knox鈥檚 hands. And David Weynand, as Fa Hai, the hell-bent-for-destruction monk, was scary in his ferociousness and funny in his actions. He was a joy.

As was the whole ensemble, which worked Matt Cotten鈥檚 puppets, danced, sang and took the audience along on this fairy tale.

Meier not only directed, she designed the mostly-silk costumes, which floated across the stage with color and movement, giving even more life to the story.

鈥淭he White Snake鈥� is pure, magical joy. It鈥檚 poetry. And is what we need about now.