Within the swirling Mist (IC) > Whispers in the Shadows

Theatrical Review - Heart of Ice

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PrimetheGrime:
[A new publication makes it's way through the streets of Port'a'Lucine]


--- Quote ---Review of Heart of Ice


When I arrived at the Theatre de la Cathedrale I admit to expressing my concern for how the newest release from Madame Violeta Dragunescu; “Heart of Ice” would be received given the mixed reviews of “The Lion’s Legacy”, however I was pleasantly surprised by the performance that was given by the talented actors of the Theatre de la Cathedrale. Even in its brief stage directions and off-stage action, it conjures up foreboding imagery, tragic loss and woe. The creative interpretation of the Barovian folk-lore tale of Jezra Wagner, ‘The Ice Queen’ saw not a dry eye in the audience.

Performed on the grand stage of the Theatre de la Cathedrale, the play made liberal use of both the stage and the audience itself, daringly taking the action from the stage and into close proximity with the audience to make for a different yet much appreciated change to the mundane. With the musical creative genius of Madame Dragunescu and Monsieur Arsene de’ l’Hopital in full swing, I was greatly moved by the melodic duets prevalent in the play that were quickly shifted for discordant and eery soundtracks that saw both I and the audience shiver unexpectedly on more than one occasion.

The play situates around the tragic tale of Jezra Wagner, a Boyars daughter who lost her life in a freak avalanche that saw her buried in its icy depths forevermore. We are greeted to this play by the resounding chorus of Barovian Miners, played my Mademoiselle Abigail Shuttleworth, making her theatre debut alongside the deep base toned Monsieur Atticus who perform a pleasing prologue and duet that sets the scene for the rest of play neatly. Mademoiselle Songbird, alongside Madame Dragunescu it should be noted offered much to stir the audience with their display of skill on the violin, though some elongated notes nearing the end would have made the instrumental have a greater impact.
We follow Jezra, played by the talented diva Madame Dhelindria Rathcore who transports us into the wild and dangerous lands of Barovia. Madame Rathcore is no new hand to theatre, and it was shown in her wonderful performance as Jezra where she displayed her prowess before the crowd, commanding their attentions in every scene, bringing the crowd from smiles to tears in swift rapidity. She was joined by none other than Monsieur l’Hopital, playing the role of her dear brother, Giorggio Wagner who, released by the boundaries of the stage took off amongst the audience, forcing many in the crowd to twist in their seats to follow the range of motion before Monsieur l’Hopital flows into a touching lullaby that ends in the two partaking in a beautiful duet that displayed both actors’ impressive vocal range for but a few lines.

Madame Rathcore leads the audience along in a soulful solo where an older and conflicted Jezra packs for her final voyage into the unknown. Whilst a touching sentimental song, I among others in the crowd wondered if the solo could have been shortened for the sake of brevity. The accompaniment from Mademoiselles Rithwarian Luelena and Songbird did much to set the tonal shift of an older, aged character that now stood before us.

We are treated several times to a determined Madame Rathcore in her element with standing ovations to be given to Mlle.Luelena and M.Atticus for their attentive supporting performance, neither overshadowing the lead or fading completely into the framework behind them. Madame Rathcore’s heart wrenching solos touched many a heart in the audience leaving many lost for words. The reprisal of her previous scenes meshed into the lyrics of her solo were nothing short of impressive from Madame Dragunescu. I do believe that the song lingered longer than I and some of the audience would have hoped and our initial sadness and shared grief for Jezra ran the risk of fading into neutrality, however as the song is abruptly cut off and we are faded to darkness, the teary-eyed reactions of the crowd speak for themselves.

Many in the audience, myself included wondered if this sudden end was the finale and uncertainly applauded, but our applause died down as Madame Dragunescu came out to address us. Whilst thanking us for joining them this evening, a sudden and startling appearance of ‘The Ice Queen’ saw the audience and myself gasp with surprise as she silences Madame Dragunescu, and the play truly ends. Whilst unconventional, it was an intriguing idea to break the fourth wall as they did, and the collective audience found it quite thrilling.

In conclusion, after the much debated “Lion’s Legacy”, “Heart of Ice” is a chilling, spine-tingling tale of tragedy and woe that I would thoroughly recommend. Many of the observed faults that were found in previous plays were not to be seen in this latest instalment and I among others noted a distinct and strict time management by the actors and musicians on stage. Whilst some scenes and songs could have be re-arranged or clipped for the sake of both brevity and emotional wringing, Madame Dragunescu’s “Heart of Ice” is a saving grace that should see her next show have an increased population within seats, eager for more.

~Maitre Basile Corbeau

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