Sand falls from the ceiling. A woman performs trapeze acts high above the stage, entwining herself in white fabric. Live rock music blasts through the speakers. A character's inner thoughts are voiced poetically through the sound system. Dutch and German song and speech coexist with English to express thought and emotion.
"Wings of Desire," a visually and emotionally stimulating new play now in its American premiere at the American Repertory Theatre, is far from the expected night at the theatre.
Gideon Lester's piece begins by introducing Damiel (Bernard White) and Cassiel (Mark Rosenthal), angels who are relaying to each other the notes they have taken for the day. That is, notes containing what they have witnessed about the human race. It soon becomes apparent that these angels are observers of everyday life, coexisting with humans without mortals knowing it, watching people as they go through the motions of living.
The problem arises when Damiel falls in love with just such a human, a trapeze artist named Marion (Mam Smith). Now he must decide what is more important: living an immortal life as an angel unable to feel, or living a life as a mortal who perhaps is forced to feel too much.
Based on the 1987 movie of the same name, the play relies heavily on symbolism and an audience's own interpretation, shying away from concrete narration or explanation. However, each element of the show pulls together beautifully, and in the end, it makes a thought-provoking statement about love and life.
Interestingly, the set itself is somewhat simple, comprised only of plastic chairs and a snack bar. In an interview for American Repertory Theatre's newsletter, ARTicles, posted online, Lester explained that the action is set, "on the stage - or rather, in the theater, where the audience and the actors sit together and look at each other."
As the play begins, pillars of sand begin to fall from the ceiling, forming piles by the time the play concludes. The sand serves as the portals between heaven and earth, and is put to great use throughout the piece. Adding to the otherworldly quality, Mam Smith performs high above the stage on a trapeze, uniting the earth and the angels.
The actors, many of whom have been working on this project from its inception last October in Amsterdam, present various glimpses into the lives of real people, and into their own lives. A script which seems unrealistic becomes, through each actor, a more realistic theatrical experience than most others. As Lester said in the same interview for ARTicles, "There's no make-believe involved in ... the theatre ... and since everything around them is so real, the angels are thrown into a kind of high relief, which makes their presence very moving."
The presence of the angels is indeed moving, for they and the show itself make a profound statement about human existence. The audience begins to realize, along with Damiel, that life and a sense of being are the greatest things possible. Albeit fleeting, it is what we each live and die for, and what brings about love and a sense of feeling. At one point in the play, Damiel speaks eagerly to a former angel turned human, asking him to tell him everything about life as a human. The man chuckles at Damiel, telling him that the fun part is finding out himself.
Bernard White shines as the contemplative Damiel, expressing the angel's inner conflicts as well as his child-like nature with ease. Audiences will be struck by the amount of sympathy and compassion they will feel towards his character, and, later, the sense of joy they will feel when he finally experiences life for all that it is.
Other highlights include Frieda Pittoors as Homer, an immortal poet, Stephen Payne as a former angel and Fred Goessens as "dying man." Each is able to pull off the subtle nuances of their characters in a way which can only come with time and dedication. And although the audience members are left in the dark about various aspects of their characters, not understanding the characters' relationships with others or their purpose within the piece until the plot is played out, the actors themselves are such interesting specimens that this is not a concern. The audience is able to trust those onstage.
The effect is overly reassuring, and the entire production can be taken in without hesitation or second thoughts, allowing observers to take away their own singular interpretations. "Wings of Desire" is an extremely moving production, made realistic by its appealing nature and truthfulness. The show's playbill states, "'Wings of Desire' is a story of barriers crossed and differences overcome." It is a story that has come to life beautifully and expressively on the Boston stage.
