No Harm, No Fowl
By Christina Davis
What is the solution when gas prices increase, politicians are unbelievable and everything just feels impossibly busy? Does one quit their soul-sucking job to create a utopian city in the sky? Should one consult the winged animals of the heavens when they feels forgotten by Zeus? Well, it is an option — one insinuated by Greek playwright Aristophanes’ in “The Birds,” a 414 BCE comedy that hit Chaffey’s Rancho Cucamonga theatre on April 9. The production was directed by Christa Havenhill, who sat down with The Breeze to give her take on the timeless comedy.
Credit for the escape to the birds’ nest goes to the lead, Pisthetaerus, played by actor Corey De Jesus. Daily existence was frustrating and loud in Athens, like it is now in America, with politics and taxes getting out of hand. The Athenian main character abandons his life and resorts to asking a literal flock of birds to help solve his existential crisis, but can Pisthetaerus stay true to his values?
“Pisthetaerus was not malicious, so I told Corey not to play an a**hole,” Havenhill remembers, pointing out that it is easy to view his character that way.
Although Pisthetaerus meant to co-create Cloudcuckooland, a city in the clouds with the birds, it is familiarly disappointing that he becomes an antihero by the end of the show. Havenhill would not quite call him a villain, and perhaps that is the same for leaders in America today. Maybe power and greed can overcome even the best of people who start out just wanting change.
Perhaps one of the most relatable facets of the play was the need for humor — partly thanks to the script, but executed brilliantly by Havenhill and her cast. The show featured farce-like gestures, slapstick comedy and political satire: everything a weary audience needs to laugh. A gang of gods standing on top of a mountain acting like a bunch of dude-bros was the ultimate portrayal of a class that remains so out of touch; the audience could not hide their chuckles.
Havenhill’s take on the play not only delivered the best medicine to Chaffey students but also used the actors in the chorus of birds to represent the individuality seen in society today. Beautiful costumes adorned the stage for three nights and a matinee. A gorgeous ivory dress, flowy purple layers, headdresses and masks were made to represent a multicultural society.
“I wanted to see a rainbow that represented diversity with the actors. There were not two birds that looked the same,” Havenhill commented.
Havenhill directed only one actor, Oliver Kolb, to wear white. This set Kolb apart as a leader, as white stands out under stage lights. Kolb chose to embody a secretary bird, a large, lanky black-and-white creature with sharp looks, perfect for his role as the Chorus Leader.
Havenhill utilized her musical theatre background, and four of her students, to create melody in Aristophanes’ words without altering the original lines. During tough times, many look on musicals as a feel-good way to let it all out, and the cast pulled it off without a hitch.
Although the birds played a diplomatic and somewhat naïve role in the story, they were united by a loyal leader, which is a nice fantasy. The Chorus Leader, although strong and complex, even forgot that Pisthataerus climbed mountains to seek help from the birds.
Havenhill comments that the birds may have been victim to “groupthink,” as they declared Pisthataerus as their leader. Does that not feel familiar? Their whole ecosystem was disturbed for one man’s dream.
“The Birds” will likely continue to be relevant. There will always be corrupt leaders and there will always be constituents who forget their power — a power that is clear as day when displayed as colorfully and individually as Havenhill directed.
If Chaffey students are wanting more of Havenhill and a switch-up from the Greek comedy, she will be directing The Addams Family this Fall, with auditions on Aug. 25.