Four girls and their matron retell six Ovidian fables in a Victorian boarding school. It is the night before their debutant ball and the girls are sleepless with the thought of becoming women in the morning. They inhabit the bodies of Echo, Narcissus, and some other less familiar but equally tragic names in a clever play from an all-female cast that comments on women’s place in society through the ages – from the classical age, to the Victorian era, to our own.
The actors are strong during their reenactments of the stories, but unconvincing in their portrayal of the young women, overplaying a hysterical childishness. Gemma Reynolds is more natural and understated in her role as Matron. Solid use is made of limited props, effectively supporting the stories with the dresses, pillowcases, and bed linen. Some moments stood out as particularly chilling, such as the incestuous desires of Mirror backed by creepy chanting, but these were diluted by the anodyne scenes as the young girls.
Hecate Theatre’s neoclassical sleepover is most enjoyable when its relevance to women today shines through. The pain and physical threat posed to women by superior men and the powerlessness of women to change their situation resonates through time and this play places emphasis on the fact that threat can never be reciprocated. The silencing of women’s voices occurs in almost every story from Ovid, provoking deep thought even at times when the acting was slightly exaggerated and irritating. Metamorphoses is enjoyable, easy to watch, and entertaining, with the additional quality of a deeper and relevant message.
