Director Banuta Rubess’ Katie of Heilbronn: An Obsession is an exuberant collision of colorful projections, extravagant costumes, and, most importantly, a cast of highly dedicated actors put on by The Centre for Drama Theatre and Performance Studies.
Indeed, the actors’ energetic performances drove this play, making the two hours pass by in a flash. The entire show was a modern adaptation of a Romantic German play, Ordeal by Fire by Heinrich von Kleist (1808). Yet, it was modernized only in regards to contemporary clothing and colorful tech; the script and overall message were preserved throughout the performance. It was very entertaining to watch a dynamic play which combined classical rhetoric and contemporary design to tackle universal themes of love and obsession.
The main performance took place on the second floor of the Helena Gardner Playhouse. While the crew effectively managed the action on stage, the space itself did not fully flatter the show. A larger performance area would have benefited the actors, since they often seemed too crowded as the play neared its climax.
Despite this minor inconvenience, the actors gave outstanding performances; particularly noticeable was Kunigunde’s performance, as the young actress effectively explored the manipulative nature of her character. The smoke-like images in the colorful projections complemented all of the actors’ performances, making Katie Heilbronn: An Obsession an extremely worthwhile theatrical endevour.
