Theater Studies brings sprawling production of absurdist play

Ravaged by decades of war and exploitative use of its natural resources, King Berenger's kingdom has decayed from a mighty country to near ruin. On top of the country's collapse, 400-year-old Berenger, who could once control the forces of nature, is now faced with the news that he is dying. Inspired by a childhood fascination with the idea of immortality, Eugene Ionesco penned Exit the King during a bout of illness that reawakened his fear of death.

The Spring showcase for the Department of Theater Studies, Exit the King features student actors alongside puppets specially created by renowned puppeteer Basil Twist with original music written by nationally recognized composer Allison Leyton-Brown.

Representative of the everyman, King Berenger is belligerent, indignant and terrified of his fate and spends the length of the play fighting it. The central theme may be weighty, but the small cast carries it well. Though the depictions of dilapidation and decay in Ionesco's third play of the Berenger Cycle are more dismal than our current reality, there are nonetheless countless parallels.

"I think this piece is very timely," said Ellen Hemphill, assistant professor of the practice and director of undergraduate studies. "The world's kind of a mess right now, and there are lots of megalomaniacs running around."

Unlike traditional renditions, the department's production incorporates puppets and a heartbreakingly beautiful score to help soften the focus on death.

"I think the play is mostly about letting go," said Hemphill, who is also the play's director. "There's something peaceful and zen to it at the end."

One of the ways the play achieves its humanistic perspective on death is through its dynamic actors. Clothed in a tattered nightgown and worn-out sweater under a still-resplendent robe, Daniel Lerman, Trinity '08, brings Berenger's desperation and stubbornness to life. From his arrogant denial to his fearful cries acknowledging death's presence, Lerman infuses the spoiled king with a rawness that draws compassion from an audience of mortals. But where King Berenger is the obstinate child fearful of the inevitable, Queen Marguerite is the staid and rational mother.

Senior Itohan Aghayere's subtle and skilled performance as a strong queen is easily the highlight of the show. While Marguerite's only intent is seeing her king pass on from life with dignity and grace, the younger Queen Marie, another wife of Berenger, feeds into his denial of death. From her commanding voice to her hilarious bickering with Marie, Aghayere delivers a compelling performance worth seeing.