What do you expect during a night at the theater? A buzzing crowd perhaps, along with glittery lights along the side of the street, and if it’s a really good show, a huge line will await you at the door. TeatRUM’s production of Tales of Beedle the Bard was one of these. The line of people started at the entrance of the Figueroa Chapel Amphitheatre and stretched well until the Student Center. As soon as the doors opened with a “Alohomora,” the crowd was led to their seats by dimly lit floating candles on the walls, while the Harry Potter score played in the background. It marked the beginning of a great night at the theater.
The packed venue was shushed by an intriguing “Are you ready to feel some magic?”, and so, the show started. “Have you heard of the Tales of Beedle the Bard? They’re one of my favorites.” The show, which progressed as if the narrator was reading the stories to the audience, featured three of Bard’s tales: “Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump,” “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart,” and “The Tale of the Three Brothers”, which all true Potterheads were sure to know by heart.
The first Bard’s tale, “Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump”, was about a muggle King who set up a witch hunt, but at the same time wanted to learn magic himself. The king, portrayed by Isabelle Morales, was a very comical rendition of a tyrannical ruler. Morales’s portrayal of the evil and twisted king was also entertainingly funny. The entire cast made sure to include a varied amount of sassiness that made each part of the tale memorable and left one wanting more.
Between tales, the audience was entertained by a real-life magician, The Antagonist, who performed tricks such as swallowing a lifesaver and pulling it out right out of his skin, swallowing razors and string and pulling them all tied out of his throat, among others. It was truly a sight to behold.
“The Warlock’s Hairy Heart” was performed by Jhyan González (Zachary/The Warlock) and Jennifer Mojica (Elladora). Zachary, a powerful warlock, decided to find a way to make sure that he would never fall prey to emotions such as love or sadness. Through the Dark Arts, he focused all his emotions into his heart and had it put away. All this changed when Elladora, fresh out of Beauxbatons Academy, came to visit him after his parents died. After a while, emotionless Zachary asked for her hand in marriage, but Elladora knew his heart was not in it. After convincing him to embrace his emotions once again, he lost control, and the Dark Magic took hold of him, killing them both. Both Mojica and González embraced their characters in a magnificent way where his pain because of his contaminated heart and what he had done was palpable, and her desire and love for him were true.
However, TeatRUM left the best for last: “The Tale of the Three Brothers,” a performance during which all of the actors did an exquisite job, with Ana Navas’s portrayal of Death being a highlight. At the beginning, the brothers combine their powers to make a bridge so they can cross the river. The river was comprised of five people, which was so creatively constructed that it was like a small choreography that, after a while, truly seemed like an inanimate object. We all know the story: Death promises the brothers each a gift. The first (Daniel Pesquera) asks for power and so Death grants him the Elder Wand. The second (Jhyan González) is granted the Resurrection Stone, and the third (Brandon Lebrón), the Cloak of Invisibility. One by one the brothers fall straight into Death’s ingenuous trap. When the time came for Death to get the last brother, they all came down into the audience searching for him. The lights came back on as the third brother was reading the tale of his brothers to his child asleep. He left him the Cloak of Invisibility, begging him that he would use it in any time of danger for protection. When he was done, he greeted Death like an old friend. When arm-in-arm he turned to the audience and said “Nox;” the whole crowd had goosebumps.
If you couldn’t see the show, fret not because TeatRUM will do another presentation next semester. Stay tuned!