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SWAMP BABY—It’s Not Easy Being Green
SWAMP BABY—It’s Not Easy Being Green
F.J. Hartland
Kudos to Phase 3 Productions. They always make courageous and unusual choices of scripts, bringing us either classic plays that aren’t often seen or brand new plays as Pittsburgh premieres.
Their newest show is no exception. Swamp Baby by Chicago playwright Aaron Carter is having its first Pittsburgh production at the Brew House on the Southside through May 2.
It is a provocative piece exploring the twists and turns of two circus “freaks” and their “owner” in 1904. One of the “performers” is Sylphe, an armless woman (Jaime Slavinsky); the other is a green creature known professionally as “Swamp Baby” (Lily Junker). Along the way, family secrets, sex, perversion, incest, the bayou and the 1904 World’s Fair all come into play.
Now I think Phase 3 needs to apply the same daring they use in choosing scripts to the actual stage productions. This production plays it far too safe. Sexual scenes are sometimes played so obtusely that only the dialogue tells us sex occurred. Swamp Baby deals with topics that are uncomfortable. With a play this wild, why censor yourself? The themes are down and dirty—so lets get dirty!
Jamie Slavinsky gives a powerful interpretation of the armless woman. She brings a grace to a woman who must use her feet and mouth in place of her hands. Additionally, she brings a dignity to the role and finally breaks our hearts. Ricardo Vila-Roger is quite good as the sexually-repressed doctor who eventually brings a sinister twist to the end of the play.
Junker is saddled with the task of playing the Swamp Baby. The character seems to be unevenly written. At times she appears as the savage she is billed to be—but never savage enough. Other times she spouts vocabulary that would make one believe she was highly educated and not a creature who grew up in the swamps. And why isn’t the actress green? I’m sure director Melissa Hill Grande made her choice based on good intellectual thought—but I don’t understand the reasoning at all. Grande does make good use of the entire space, moving the play from the stage to the pit to the aisles.
Debra Humphrey is effective as a bitter Southern matron. Rounding out the cast are David Santiago (as Armand) and Maggie Mayer (as Desiree).
Scenic designer Dek Ingraham simply, but beautifully, depicts the elegant droop of a swampy cypress tree that dominates the unit set. Lighting by J. R. Shaw helps make the play’s darting changes from location to location (as well as past and present) easier to follow.
So—be brave Phase 3. Have the full courage of your convictions! Give us productions as edgy as your scripts!
Swamp Baby runs through May 2. Contact www.phase3productions.com.