A story with a capacious heart
by Alec Clayton
Published in the Weekly Volcano, Feb. 7, 2019
from left: Korja Giles, Ryan Martin Holmberg and Ted Ryle, photo by David Nowitz, courtesy Olympia Family Theatre
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Flora & Ulysses, based on the children’s book of the same name by Kate DiCamillo, is a children’s story that appeals to people of all ages. With phrases like “a capacious heart” and “loneliness makes us do terrible things," and such sophisticated concepts as temporary blindness caused by trauma and being a self-declared cynic as a way of hiding insecurity, the wit and wisdom of this play is beyond the grasp of many children. On the other hand, it has the virtue of not talking down to children, who might be wiser than we give them credit for. Plus, the wild antics of the actors on stage at Olympia Family Theater appeal to all children and the child in all of us.
Flora
Belle Buckman (Korja Giles) is a 10-year-old girl whose parents are recently
divorced. She loves comic books and wishes she could see thought bubbles above
her head like in comics. Taking this clue as a guiding principle, scenic
designer Martin Lee and scenic engineer David Nowitz filled the set with ads
from the back pages of comic book and projected thought bubbles on that wall above
the stage.
Flora
rescues a squirrel that has been sucked up by a Ulysses vacuum cleaner and
names the squirrel after the vacuum cleaner. Comic book super heroes get their
powers because of some catastrophic accident, and Ulysses the squirrel is no
exception; he gets super powers from being sucked up in the vacuum cleaner. His
super powers include the ability to fly and write poetry, which he types out on
Flora’s mother’s old manual typewriter. Her mother, Phyllis (Rynelle Bircher),
is not a good writer; Ulysses is a better poet. Phyllis wants to get rid of
Ulysses; she and Flora argue about it, and Flora decides to leave her mother
and go live with her father, George (Ted Ryle).
Giles portrays
Flora as loveable and sweet but sad and lonely. She subtly and wonderfully
portrays the complexity of this character, a smart and loving child whose world
has been rocked by the divorce of her parents.
Ulysses
the squirrel is a hand puppet manipulated by Ryan Martin Holmberg who, OFT
patrons will recall, was the puppeteer for Blubber the fish in Fishnapped.
Holmberg’s wide-eyed expressions, jerky movements and histrionic pronouncements
are hilarious. He does more than just operate a hand puppet; he becomes
Ulysses. The audience goes wild when he makes Ulysses fly around the stage and
up into the audience like some kind of crazed kamikaze pilot.
Ryle
as father George is absolutely hilarious, proving once again that he has the
comic talent of a Charlie Chaplin or a Buster Keaton.
For
children, for their parents, and maybe especially for 10-year-old kids, Flora & Ulysses is highly
recommended.
Flora & Ulysses, 7
p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, through Feb. 17, $15 $20, Olympia Family
Theater, 612 4th Ave E, Olympia, http://olyft.org/tickets 360-570-1638.
F
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