One-act musical a dark fairy tale

The cast of “Blue Orphan” slipped onstage and into their cocoons. Encased in their gauze houses, they told tales of their previous manifestations and the rare blue Brazilian butterflies they longed to emulate. They waited for the cataclysmic event that would set off that transformation some of them were destined not to survive.

The Catalyst Theatre of Edmonton, Alberta, performed the one-act musical for a small but appreciative audience Sunday night at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono. Written by Jonathan Christenson and Joey Tremblay three years ago, it was as bold and visually stunning in its execution as it was traditional in its storytelling style.

Christenson, who also directed and starred in the production, stated in the program notes that Sherwood Anderson’s 1919 novel “Winesburg, Ohio” inspired “Blue Orphan.” In the book, Anderson wrote 24 short stories about the residents of the fictional town. While each story focused on an important moment in the life of an individual, characters from other tales appeared in various stories.

Using gauze panels lit by a dazzling blend of pastel colors, production designer Bretta Gerecke gave “Blue Orphan” a warmth not apparent in the script. It was the image of characters softly illuminated inside their cocoons that stuck with theatergoers, rather than the show’s songs.

Set in the dying mill town of Crooked Creek, “Blue Orphan” began as Jonah set out on his own from the Orphanage for Blessed Children Lost. Carrying a glowing suitcase, Jonah, played by Sin Williams, acted as the narrator, introducing each character.

Sheri Somerville played his musical counterpart. Like a ghost haunting the town’s inhabitants, she sang most of the songs. Her strong and clear soprano voice added depth to the production that, at times, nearly ran as dry as the crooked creek from which the town took its name.

It was the blue butterfly, invisibly fluttering from one inhabitant of Crooked Creek to another that wove the play’s characters together with a delicate thread.

Henrietta Sinclair, daughter of the man whose paper mill built and destroyed the town, was first entranced by it as a young woman in Rio de Janeiro. A young street waif named Hortense survived selling paper butterflies on the street, and Sister Parnel, the Mother Superior of the orphanage, rewarded the children with a glimpse of the rare blue creature pinned down and displayed under glass.

Other characters whose stories were told included Ormond the Brute, papermaker Jim Tibue, wing maker Barefoot Claire and Harold, the agoraphobic orphan who, in the end, flew away with Hortense and her paper butterflies.

Catalyst Theatre’s ensemble cast was excellent. Each actor built a character spotted with foibles and possibilities and gave them more dimensions than the writers bestowed on them. The actor lifted the script from the fuzzy fairytale conceived by its authors into an allegory relevant to the uncertainties of the 21st century.

“Blue Orphan” is a show young people could sink their teeth into. Referred to as a dark fairy tale, it offered genuine optimism for a young generation’s metamorphosis into adulthood. The sadness that lingered in the MCA after the show ended was that so few of them encountered it.

Judy Harrison can be reached at 990-8207 and jharrison@bangordailynews.net.