New York Review: New Victory Presents CollaborationTown & Flint Repertory Theatre’s “Riddle of the Trilobites”
Natalie Rine, Associate New York Critic
Currently upon entering the New Victory on 42nd Street, one wafts through the electrifying, congenial atmosphere of the friendly student ushers and young family audience to be seated in front of a jaw-dropping first look at the stage. Flowy, sheer white fabric cascades down from above, lit in a cool color palate reminiscent of an Elsa fever dream. This luscious design is Deb O’s scenic design with lighting design by Eric Southern, setting the enchanting and sophisticated tone of CollaborationTown & Flint Repertory Theatre’s latest, “Riddle of the Trilobites.”
A musical allegory for climate change, “Riddle of the Trilobites” embraces its difficult subject matter with wit, humor, and heart that transcends all ages and utilizes song and puppetry to elucidate the supposed reality of prehistoric sea creatures 500 million years ago. The story follows a young trilobite named Aphra as her restless searching for emotional and familial truth takes her on a journey across the ocean to solve an ancient riddle that holds the key to survival for her tribe of arthropods destined to be extinct and fossilized: “The trilobites cannot live, but will not die.” Aphra and her friends are inquisitive, brave, and forthright on their hero’s journey. Despite the looming undercurrent of the larger climactic threat to their way of life and very existence, the adventurers tackle each obstacle in a humorous and honest perspective, an accomplishment of the writers’ and full ensemble’s perfect encapsulation of youthful voice and world perception.
This ensemble-driven story maintains this consistent storytelling magic thanks to phenomenal director Lee Sunday Evans and her keen eye for challenging inquisitive stories. On first thought I surmised this was a total departure from her recent masterful, darker In the Green; however, the same build and exploration of a complete brand new world and realm of creativity is found in both pieces, with boundless ink from her mind’s pen filling the pages, populating this world with the same trademark humanity, heart, and honesty found in all her directorial amalgamations.
“Riddle of the Trilobites,” the result of a two-year development with New Victory LabWorks, culminated in a premiere at Flint Repertory Theatre in March 2019 prior to this to great acclaim. This is truly thanks to the careful curation by Evans of a stylistic symphony: each choice from lighting, sound, costume, and scenic departments create an ocean of possibility that results in the boundless joy and inquisition we see on stage. Our juvenile newcomer adventurers, along with their elders and other creature friends, are told through gorgeous, adaptable puppets by Amanda Villalobos. The elder robes by Deb O become a luscious contrast to the younglings’ barren molting stage, a visual contrast of innocence shedding to colorful maturity. The safety of their home, lit by Eric Southern in a cool color palate, is replaced with flashes of scary green and deep reverberations of colors as the adventurers face unknown species and challenges. Scenes play with shadows, along with sound design by Emma Wilk, to scare and enchant the many children in the audience with fear… until young Aphra inevitably elucidates newcomers as friends, not foes.
Written by Geo Decas O’Donnell, Jordan Seavey, and Nicholas William, the songs mostly float by you without landing. However, the earnestness and sentiment of such a strong, fascinating subject matter holds sway as we groove and nod our heads along to the songs, heeding climate change warnings alongside strong additional messages of friendship and overcoming adversity. This multi-dimensional mastery of community storytelling that challenges instead of belittling young audiences is reminiscent of the educational sophistication of “Sesame Street” or other generation-crossing storytelling. A perfect evening for all ages, “Riddle of the Trilobites” delights, challenges, and encourages all of us to be the change we want to see in the world.
“Riddle of the Trilobites”
“Riddle of the Trilobites” was created by CollaborationTown and is directed by Lee Sunday Evans. Book & Lyrics by Geo Decas O’Donnell & Jordan Seavey, with Music & Lyrics, Music Direction, Arrangements, and Orchestrations by Nicholas Williams. Puppetry design by Amanda Villalobos. The creative team also includes set design & Elder Robe design by Deb O, costume design by Katherine Nelson, lighting design by Eric Southern, sound design by Emma Wilk, and puppet fabrication by Amanda Villalobos with additional puppet fabrication by Puppet Kitchen; musical direction, arrangements & orchestration by Nicholas Williams; puppet direction by Pam Arciero; associate director Alex Tobey; assistant director Laura Galindo; assistant stage manager and puppet wrangler Brodrick Jones; production stage manager Rachel Kaufman; production management & technical direction by Tech without Tears; line produced by Ilana Becker; associate produced by Michael Todd Cohen, Adrian Frandle & TJ Witham; produced by Lee Sunday Evans, Geo Decas O’Donnell, Jordan Seavey & Nicholas Williams.
“Riddle of the Trilobites” runs at the New Victory Theater until February 23, 2020. Run Time: 80 minutes, no intermission. Tickets are available online (NewVictory.org) and by phone (646.223.3010). To purchase tickets in person, the New Victory box office is located at 209 West 42nd Street (between 7th / 8th Avenues). For more information, please visit: NewVictory.org.
Photo Credit: Alexis Buatti-Ramos