Up, up and away: Magic in the works at Happenstance Theatre
Pierrot is all smiles as he slowly cycles the perimeter of the stage of Bethesda's Round House Theatre on his penny farthing — a 1800s bicycle with an oversized front wheel. Audience members may be holding their breath, wondering if he will tip over or worse, careen off the stage.
Turns out, this is just the beginning of Pierrot's (Mark Jaster) big adventure. The white-faced clown is biking his way through the French countryside en route to Paris to sing on a photautogram, the first mechanical sound recording device. Although he believes he is proficient with this particular prop, Pierrot's bike comes to a sorry end after a collision that occurs off stage. Stumbling down the country lane lamenting over his broken bike, he meets the kooky Augustine (Sabrina Mandell). The happy, occasionally lucky lady is encountering her own challenges as she tries to hoist 20 yards of fabric up a make-believe mountain so she can sail away on her homemade hot air balloon.
Folks might worry that "Look Out Below!" is just for children, but the production is refreshingly grown up. Produced by Mandell and Jaster's Happenstance Theatre and performed at Round House through Dec. 20, the one-hour show proves that family-friendly theater need not rely on high-tech wizardry.
Sometimes all it takes is a clown, an acrobat, a one-man orchestra and the thinnest of storylines to achieve "visually poetic theater," Mandell explains. In fact, she points out, Happenstance Theatre is all about the "European tradition of story or devised theater that doesn't start with technology. It's physical theater with actors creating the props."
In addition to the couple's singing, dancing and acrobatic skills, "Look Out" introduces Max Calliope (Karen Hansen). This occasional member of their traveling troupe never utters a single word, but speaks volumes by playing a variety of instruments.
Mandell and Jaster, who are married to each other, conceived of the idea while living a "Bohemian lifestyle in a big old farmhouse in Rockville," Mandell recalls. It was there that Mandell began thinking about the Moulin Rouge, while Jaster's interest was the mid-19th century Parisian art scene.
They heard a National Public Radio program about the first mechanical sound device and how scientists were finally able to hear what had been recorded.
"At first, researchers thought it sounded like a women singing [the French folk song] ‘Au Clair de la Lune,'" Mandell says.
The researchers quickly realized the song was being played at the wrong speed, that it was a man singing. Still, the idea intrigued Mandell, and she and Jaster decided to develop a story about Pierrot, a stock character in French mime shows, in search of the amazing sound machine.
Since Happenstance Theatre's 2006 inception, Jaster says, he and Mandell have combined mime, acrobatics, stories and music, creating a unique "niche" in the region's theater scene.
Married since 2005, the two work in very different ways.
"Sabrina is intuitive and spontaneous, while I like figuring out the structure of the story," Jaster explains. And that difference is critical making a "productive tension."
Jaster wants audiences to see "mime in its context, and not some person in white face bothering you at a shopping mall."
Music is equally important, Jaster adds, and for "Look Out," they knew that with Hansen playing trumpet, trombone, harmonica, pipe organ and drums, the instruments would speak for themselves.
Hansen concurs, point out, "I am not an actor, but I trust these guys, and when they asked, I said ‘bring it on.'"
Mandell even took up the trapeze for her role.
Their goal is to "open up a deep part of ourselves and share. We love it," Jaster says.
And so do their audiences.
"Look Out Below!" will be presented at 7 p.m. Friday, 1 and 5 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday at Round House Theatre, 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda. Tickets are $15, $10 for ages 18 and younger. Call 240-644-1100 or visit www.roundhousetheatre.org.
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