CUTTING BALL THEATRE PRODUCTION OF "TONTLAWALD"

Cutting Ball’s “Tontlawald” now having its world premiere at the Exit on Taylor is based on an Estonian fairy tale about a mistreated girl named Lona who goes to a creepy haunted forest to escape the torment of her stepmother. She eventually seeks vengeances against her. The ensemble-based piece was commissioned by Associated Artistic Director Paige Roger after it was told to her son’s first-grade class. This one hour production reminds me of the ABC’s series “Revenge”

“Tontlawald” is difficult to follow especially if you don’t read “The Tale of the Tontlawald” in the program before seeing it performed by this superlative cast of singers and actors. However what it lacks in actual plot lines it makes up for an excellent production full of stunning arrangements of music sung by the seven member ensemble. Visually and superb unusual high frequency songs the production reaches charismatic heights. Several years ago an Estonian choral group was in this country and they produced amazing high sounds that are rarely heard in this country. I compare some of the songs to this sonically type of music.

The capella music ranged from jazz standards like “Sweet and Low” to Sarah Hopkins “Aboriginal Song” to a delightful portion of Mozart’s “Magic Flute” to doo-wop. There was even a barber shop quartet singing “Irish Mother”. Some of the strange high pitched voice singing ancient and dead languages in Estonian remind me of the Estonian choral group that I saw several years ago. A highlight is the wild wonderful pas de deux performed by Sam Gibbs and Wiley Naman Strasser as they beat their chest looking like something from a cave man film.

Madeline H.D. Brown, Rebecca Frank, Cindy Im, Marilet Martinez, Sam Gibbs, Wiley Naman Strasser, Meg O’Connor and Liz Wand had great vocal chops singing in beautiful harmonies.

Production designer Silvie Duetsch working with lighting designer David Sinaiko creates an enthralling space with the audience sitting on each side of the theatre. The stage is filled mostly with empty boxes surrounded by a paper web that looks like a giant spider web. Occasionally the web is cut to allow actors to come to center stage to perform.
“Tontlawald” plays through March 11 at the Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor Street, San Francisco. For tickets call 415-525-1205 or go to www.cuttingball.com