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| L - R Genevieve Joy and Odalys Nanin |
by Joe Straw
“It is not an inconsistent premise, Señor de la Cadena,” she responded, her face flushed. “It is Holy Writ that God made Man in His own image and that Woman was created from Man. Thus it follows that Woman, too, was created in God’s image. The enthymeme demonstrates rather than refutes Woman’s equality to Man, since one was created in imitation of God and the other was created in the imitation of the imitation of perfection. Since we know that God makes no mistakes, His reproduction of Himself was perfect, as was the reproduction of the perfect image. It is not possible, then, for Man to be more perfect than Woman since both have been created in the perfect image of God.” – Juana Inés - Pg. 39 Sor Juana’s Second Dream by Alicia Gaspar de Alba
I wondered how Sor Juana’s intellect would manifest itself onto the stage. Based on the book “Sor Juana’s Second Dream” by Alicia Gaspar de Alba. I imagined the conflict would somehow be a struggle for intellectual power. But Juana Inés (b.1648 – d. 1695) was cloistered in a convent. How would that be possible?
Macha Theatre Co. presents The Nun and the Countess, produced, directed, and written by Odalys Nanin (Based on the novel “Sor Juana Second Dream” by Alicia Gaspar de Alba) and also co-directed by Corky Dominguez. Begonya De Salvo also served as the co-producer now showing at Casa 0101 Theatre in Boyle Heights.
The play picks up after Sor Juana has been ensconced and committed to the convent. She is perfectly draped in nun regalia, and living under the Order of the Hieronymites to a life of seclusion and untrammeled work in what was then New Spain, now Mexico.
There are scant references of the people who got her there, supported her, and made sure she was living comfortably to pursue her studies. Another play, another time.
One such supporter is lovely Countess Maria Luisa de Paredes (Genevieve Joy) a woman who loves Juana in a variety of ways and later takes her works to have them published in Spain. The Countess is also Juana’s love interest or possibly it is the other way around. Sor Juana speaks her truth, and one supposes in the back of her mind daydreams of having a female lover.
In the play Halley’s comet appears to Juana (Odalys Nanin) in 1682 when she was 34 years old. How that event was significant to the overall path of the story remains to be seen. It suggests that Sor Juana was a woman of science, she was rational, and her mind spoke volumes on the nature of logic, but, in reality, it did not move the play along.
And, where are the books?
The tenebrous Mother Superior (Graciela Valderama) with a rod and staff (they comfort me) holds dominion and is always on Juana’s case about this and that. And although Mother Superior works under the priest we never see that relationship play out.
The Bishop of Puebla (Armando Rey) is also a frequent visitor who wants more from Juana than his own work can provide him. Without being obvious about the things he wants, what he wants is to take. And take is what he does.
Patricide is blatantly evident in the convent with the Bishop of Puebla, Father Miranda (Delfin Toro) and the Archbishop (Paul Cascante) all sanguivorous characters that pull on Sor Juana moving her in a direction that fulfills the wishes of the church. One believes they wanted to silence her in one way or another. But, none can match her torrential eloquence.
The thing that is instrumental in Nanin’s written work is that she brings the life and work of Sor Juana to the forefront here in Los Angeles. Nanin’s work is ambivalent enough to give thought to Juana’s life of being a feminist first to level the playing field something at that time the church would not stand by idly. One can debate those thoughts when thinking about Sor Juana’s life and her relationship to the church.
Sor Juana spoke about love at a time when women weren’t to speak of these things. And because it was the time of the Spanish Inquisition Sor Juana paid a price for just speaking her mind and most significantly putting it on paper.
There are plays in which the lead character wields too much power and must be destroyed. One might think of Sor Juana in that same vein, she was too knowledgeable and had to be destroyed in one fashion or another. One sees the play moving in that direction.
Co-directing team of Corky Dominguez and Odalys Nanin has some challenges in the first act, but the second act picks up steam and moves along splendidly. One is of the mind that there should be only one stamp, one director, and a strong vision to mold and present a stronger visual.
Defining the conflict throughout each scene would help move the play. Some things need definition, relationships need refinement, and characters play it safely but need stronger objectives and physical life. (I may have gotten there too early in the run and there is little time to make adjustments, as there are only four more performances.) The masturbation scene needed an explanation as one character lifts herself from behind the bed.
Some moments worked and other moments were not as successful. As an example, Sor Juana says she has scarlet fever and yet she touches Father Miranda’s hand without either actor acknowledging this fact or using it to their benefit.
Passion for the objectives will come in time but theatre today has but a limited time.
Also, missing on the set were the 4000 books Sor Juana had on her shelves in her room (Marco de Leon, Set Designer). This speaks volumes of the character and her benefactors. The upstairs and the telescope served little purpose. If we can project a mountain, we probably can project books.
Costumes by Shon Le Blanc were incredible and really half the battle was won because of the costumes.
Genevieve Joy radiates as the Countess Maria Luisa de Paredes. Graciela Valderrama as Mother Superior has a commanding presence and it’s not because of the big stick in her hand. Armando Rey is almost a complete character as Bishop of Puebla but needs to the find physical characteristics that will enhance his character. The same this holds true for Delfin Toro as Father Miranda who needs to find who his master is and define why he does what he does.
Other players of this fine cast are Vanessa Diego (Concepcion), Chelsea Delfin (Belilla), Nakasha Norwood (Francisca) and Paul Cascante (Archbishop). LeeAnn Gutierrez Fluter is the understudy for Countess Maria Luisa de Paredes but did not perform the night I was there.
I am a great admirer of Odalys Nanin and have seen six of her shows because there is always something new to see and things to learn from a different perspective and different point of view. It’s always fun and always an adventure.
Megan Walker served as Stage Manager/Tech Operator and Rafael Vasquez was the Lighting Designer.
Run! And take a history buff!
Tickets at: Machatheatre.org