Jenn Harris as Jane and Miriam A. Laube as Penelope in Alley Theatre’s The Janeiad. Photo by Lynn Lane.
“THE JANEIAD” tells the story of Jane Winters’ journey of grief, hope and healing after losing her husband in the 9/11 attacks. Cooglife attended the Alley Theatre’s world premiere of the show.
Here’s what you can hope to see.
THE JANEIAD Overview
The show takes the audience through 20 years of Jane’s life. Throughout the years, she is visited by Persephone from The Odyssey–the wife of Odyssius who faced a similar struggle. As the years go on, Jane also encounters different characters from her life. They each add their own perspectives, conflicts and solutions to Jane’s situation.
The show is a balance of tragedy and comedy. It contrasts the hopeless dread Jane faces with the humorous and heartfelt interactions between her and the other characters.
Theatergoers may have seen “THE JANEIAD” early when it debuted in last year’s Alley All New Festival–a showcase of projects, workshops and readings the public can view for free. This year’s eighth Alley All New Festival is running from Oct. 25 to Oct. 27, providing fans of the stage with a weekend of activities.
The Actors
This mythical epic is led by actors Jenn Harris and Miriama A. Laube as Jane and Penelope respectively.
Award winning actress, writer and director, Jenn Harris, provided a perfect portrayal of conflicted frustration to the role–making the audience feel the bubbling tension, sadness and anger building as the years go by.
Fox and Lunt-Fontanne Fellow Miriama A. Laube gave a Shakespearean performance with Penelope and showcased her acting talent through manipulation of wardrobe and voice. Her seamless switch between Penelope as a character and narrator with impactful monologues and individual personalities with different mannerisms and emotions was a real treat.
Together they play off of each other’s characters creating a clash of personalities. This evolves into a deeper understanding of their circumstances.
Behind The Scenes of THE JANEIAD
In a conversation with Scene Designer, Michael Locher, he noted the importance of the environment to “THE JANEIAD.” When crafting the set there was a goal to combine two concepts, Hades as a contemplative space and the reality of a broken Brooklyn home.
The stage of the Neuhaus Theatre is an open environment where the actors and audience are only a few feet away from each other, presenting a design challenge Locher was prepared to face.
“It’s very difficult to make that world disappear and to have people just focus on the stage. So often in that space we try to do the opposite… we try and say ‘no it’s okay we’re all here let’s acknowledge the space around us’,” Locher said.
To do this, the stage has pieces clearly hanging from beams on wire or blocky geometry unevenly jutting out from the pitch black marble floor. The banister of the bay window at the far end of the stage crumbles halfway and morphs into a greek pillar trailing out into floating rubble. A statue is split in half in the corner, the top half hanging by a wire while lit up directly by lights from below.
“I wanted it to feel less like you were eavesdropping on some reality and more like you, the audience, is witnessing something that we are all a part of; this character’s experience in working through her grief,” said Locher. “That’s happening because of the space she’s in… the theater… the lights… the audience, all of that is part of a giant machine that is helping this process of grief happen.”
Showing Details
“THE JANEIAD” combines themes from classical epics with modern writing to form a story made for the here and now.
The play is currently being performed at Alley Theatre until Nov. 3 in the Neuhaus Theatre. Tickets range from $53 to $75 dollars, while supplies last.
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