The Snow Geese is a story about family
Listen to this articleThe story is set in November of 1917. Elizabeth Gaesling [played by Melissa Chalsma] is the recently widowed family matriarch. Her and other family members gather at their hunting lodge for some partying and hunting, but there is a lot of stress tearing away at the family fun. Elizabeth is clearly still suffering the loss of her husband, while Duncan Gaesling has joined the military and is preparing to enter the raging bloody World War One and his younger brother Arnold has discovered very disturbing facts about the family fortune.
Meanwhile Max Hohmann has lost his home and his medical practice because he is “filthy German,” a reality not lost on Americans of Japanese descent at the outbreak of World War Two. Even the maid played by the always sensational Kalean Ung brings yet another dimension to the show.
So much erupts in Act One it is almost albeit not actually necessary to keep a written record to keep up. By Act Two the most stressful matters work out as best they can and life goes on. All in all in it is a powerful portrayal of deep family distress and survival. And it is presented by The Independent Shakespeare Company even though clearly not Shakespeare. Yet in keeping with the tradition of the Company it is one powerful and well-done performance.
Having been privileged to now have seen several productions from the Independent Shakespeare Company I have seen them be consistently excellent. With a team of actors who are typically at the pinnacle of their craft. That tradition continues in The Snow Geese with Melissa Chalsma, Faqir Hassan, Bruce Katzman, Nikhil Pai, Evan Lewis Smith, Bernadette Sullivan and Kalean Ung,
The Snow Geese written by Sharr White and Directed by David Melville may be enjoyed now through April 9th at the Independent Shakespeare Studio Company Studio, 3191 Casitas Avenue, #168, Atwater Village, Los Angeles, California 90039. Happily there is abundant free parking. Reservations and ticketing by telephone to: 818-710-6306 and online here.
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For another type of great art check this out.
Photos by Grettel Cortes
Top photo: Nikhal Pai and Evan Lewis Smith
Ron Irwin was born in Chicago, Illinois a long time ago. He served in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, became a trial lawyer, TV and radio host, CEO of a public company and once held an Emmy. He never won an Emmy he just held one. Ron has written and published twelve books. His most important book to date is “Live, Die, Live Again” in which Ron tells of his early life and his unexpected and very temporary death in 2012. That experience dramatically refocused his life and within the pages of that book Ron reveals how he achieved a much healthier life, ridding himself of Diabetes, Cancer and Heart Failure. Now Ron enjoys writing about many things including health topics, travel [he has circled the globe several times], adventure, culinary experiences and the world of performing art. Ron’s motto is “Live better, live longer and live stronger because it feels great and annoys others.” Contact the author.