THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 9, 1995 TAG: 9502090068
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 179 lines
``NAMASTE.''
That's the Hindu greeting Charlie Hensley, Virginia Stage Company's artistic director, used at his first meeting with the cast and designers for ``A Perfect Ganesh,'' which opens Friday at the Wells Theater.
``Namaste'' - spoken humbly, palms together at the chest - was also the way Hensley began his unusual curtain speech for Sunday's dress rehearsal.
Namaste - pronounced NAH-mah-stay - set the tone for the whole production. It translates as ``I salute the god within you.''
As Hensley told the dress rehearsal audience: ``Our theater has its deepest roots in religion, in the religious rituals and altars of ancient times.''
And in ``Ganesh,'' he said, ``God is everywhere.''
Jan. 17
Meet and Greet
``Namaste,'' said Hensley, bowing his head slightly to the group.
The cast was meeting for the first time for an initial read-through of the much-heralded Terrence McNally script about two middle-age women who journey to India.
The stage company engages in this introductory ritual for every show. They call it ``meet and greet.''
Sun poured into the Wells' upper lobby, where the cast, designers and production crew gathered.
``Hindu culture is something I knew little about when I took on this project,'' began the impish, redheaded Hensley. ``Since then, I have been very fortunate to find . . . the latest Ganesha comic book!''
He whipped the book from off a low table, where he had erected a shrine to the elephant-headed Ganesha - a god of wisdom and remover of obstacles.
``He is the most popular of Indian gods,'' Hensley told the group. ``Hindus have no word in Hindu for religion, because it is not separated from life. And the spiritual journey these women go through, it's an incredible thing to watch.''
An atmosphere of warmth and reverence was being set.
``To us, Ganesha is a character in a play. To Hindus, Ganesha is a god. It is important not to lose sight of that,'' Hensley said.
One by one, the designers presented their ideas to the group. Each show-and-tell was a kind of performance, eliciting laughter and appreciative sighs.
Dex Edwards, an Atlanta set designer, said he saw the show as ``a huge, huge, little-bitty epic. But it encompasses all of life.
``This huge, sweeping epic - with four people.
``We could do what Arena Stage (in Washington, D.C.) did and put all of India on stage.''
But that wasn't Edwards' vision. Nor did he want to be too minimal.
Earlier, Hensley said he'd asked the playwright: ``Any words of wisdom?''
``No,'' McNally told him. ``Except, don't try to get all of India on stage.''
Because the Wells' ceiling is very high, and there are usually only two actors on stage at a time in ``Ganesh,'' the ceiling had to be ``brought down,'' Edwards said.
He did this by designing a portal set - a series of doorways that get increasingly smaller, so eyes will be directed down to the actors.
The entire set would be painted like a cloud-filled sky, he said. Depending on how it's lit, ``it could be sunrise, sunset or the middle of the day. Or it could just be walls.''
The set is kinetic. Revolving ``donuts'' set flush into the stage platform transport people, furniture and props. Pneumatic pistons send balconies up from beneath the stage. Characters enter from stage left and right on low, wheeled pallets.
Next up was costumer Susan Mickey. She explained that most of the costumes would be contemporary clothing, but she wanted to allow for changes and additions ``as the actors find their character.''
The showiest item is Ganesha's elaborate, bejeweled costume, which calls for an elephant-head mask and a big belly. It was designed by Santo Loquasto for the original production in June 1993 at Manhattan Theater Club.
Lighting designer Ken Yeager announced his goal: ``To make you guys stand out like little jewels.''
Pamela Nunnelley, resident sound designer, said ``Ganesh'' would be ``the loudest show I've done here - bar none.
``Mr. McNally may not want to see all of India on stage. But he sure wants to hear it!'' Knowing laughter filled the room.
The actresses - Deborah Mayo, who portrays an uptight Margaret Civil, and Jane Moore, as the adventurous Kitty Brynne - looked on attentively.
Near them was Sam Guncler, who assumes more than a dozen character roles in the show, mostly comic. He sat by David McGann, the Norfolk actor who was still performing the role of an Irish fisherman in ``Sea Marks,'' the Virginia Stage show that closed Jan. 22.
With another week left in that intimate drama, McGann was launching into a very different role as Ganesha. At the very least, it was a serious accent change - from Irish brogue to Indian and Japanese.
Before beginning the first read-through, with seated actors reading lines from the script, Hensley gave his version of a pep talk.
``I have done a lot of my work already,'' he said. ``The next step in my work is to watch you work.
``I think this is the hardest play I've ever done. I am terrified. And exhilarated. I could not be more excited. Go with me, and we'll get there. It's going to be a journey.''
Feb. 2: Tech rehearsal
``Ladies, when we begin, we will begin with where we see god on the wing,'' said stage manager Cameron Jackson, his calm, deep voice sounding like the computer in ``2001: A Space Odyssey.''
Jackson's miked voice carried through the dark theater to the actresses, sitting in airplane seats on the lit stage. They seemed to be floating in the set, which was painted like clouds.
This was the second rehearsal on stage for the cast, and it was geared to technical matters. Scenes were going slowly. Every few minutes, actors had to pause so that lights could be set or props adjusted.
Hensley entered the theater. ``Oh, it's beautiful!'' he said, glancing up at the stage.
Meanwhile, McGann was missing cues with his Ganesha mask on. ``I'm sorry. I really can't hear you,'' he called out from the wings. ``And I really can't see squat.''
During a short break, McGann slipped into the lobby, where a snack table was set up. He took off his mask and put it on a table.
``Isn't this costume fabulous?'' he said. ``The only problem is it was made for a man who's 5-foot-8-inches, and I'm 6-foot-1.''
Crew members were resting in the lobby, standing by in case their services were needed.
Claire Fretts Dana, the scenic artist who painted most of the set's clouds, described how she had painted the heavy muslin on the floor using very long brushes. To judge the finished product, she climbed a ladder.
``Dreamlike is a good word for it. It sets up a context that is unique to the play,'' Dana said.
Besides locating airplane seats and other items, props master Kathy Martin made authentic-looking Indian shadow puppets. She made seven puppets, each about 30 inches tall, and decorated them with colored markers.
``That took me five full days,'' she said, laughing. ``I had a really big headache from the markers.''
Edwards peeked into the lobby, telling the crew, ``They're still on the plane!''
``I've made three pillows,'' Martin said, to no one in particular, ``and they're still on the plane.''
Feb. 5: Dress rehearsal
The first audience for ``A Perfect Ganesh'' filed into the theater. Just before the curtain went up, Hensley emerged from backstage.
``Namaste,'' he said, greeting the crowd.
As theater artists, he said, ``we reflect the society we live in. We reflect it in an entertaining way. And we reflect it in an intellectual way.
``But my favorite way to do it is in a heartfelt way. We are going to try and plumb the heart of this production.''
Then he walked from the stage into the theater, turning around to see a silhouette of the elephant-headed god on a screen on stage - prelude to what he hoped would be a perfect ``Ganesh.'' ILLUSTRATION: TAMARA VONINSKI/Staff
Sam Guncler has more than a dozen character roles, mostly comic, in
"The Perfect Ganesh."
Charlie Hensley directs David McGann, playing the Indian god
Ganesha.
Property artisan Chris Spiers, left, and props master Kathy Martin
create authentic-looking Indian shadow puppets.
MOTOYA NAKAMURA /Staff
The set for ``The Perfect Ganesh'' features a series of doorways
that get increasingly smaller, so eyes will be directed down to the
actors. And the set is painted like a cloud-filled sky.
Property artisan Chris Spiers, left, and props master Kathy Martin
create authentic-looking Indian shadow puppets.
Stage notes
What: Terrence McNally's drama, ``A Perfect Ganesh,'' about two
women on a journey to India. A Virginia Stage Company production.
Where: Wells Theater, Monticello Avenue and Tazewell Street,
Norfolk
When: Opens Friday at 8 p.m. Continues through Feb. 26 with daily
shows, except Mondays. A preview performance takes place tonight at
8.
How much: Tickets are $10 to $30
Call: 627-1234
by CNB