A Powerful New Production in Denver
From left: Jessica Roblee, Josh Robinson and Mare Trevathan in The Curious Theatre Company's Aphrodisiac. (Denver Post / John Moore)
The Curious Theater Company opened the regional debut of Rob Handel’s Aphrodisiac last night, and your trulys had seats in the center of the balcony for this play on perceptions. Set in the world of Clinton/Lewinsky and Condit/Levy, this play explores the possibilities of a Congressman’s relationship with a missing intern.
The simple props and small cast make an excellent presentation of this sorrid story, told from the perspective of the Congressman’s grown children. As the two traumatized adults explore their father’s situation through arguments and roleplaying, they are drawn into a world of sex, lies, and the darkest possibilities. A surprisingly sympathetic third character, played by the elegant Mare Trevathan, gives the siblings a new insight into the world that they can only pretend to be a part of.
Jessica Robblee (who plays the disgraced Congressman’s 25 year-old daughter Alma) says that Aphrodisiac shows us the frustrating mirage that perceptions can make of the lives of public figures, even to their own families. Ms. Robblee and her costar Josh Robinson’s talents are highlighted by the variety of situations and character-within-a-character situations they put themselves into during this short production. The complex dramatic comedy will have you laughing as the siblings mock their parents, then reaching for a tissue as their insecurities about that family come to the surface.
Come to this play about politics, media, love, power, and family with an open mind. You won’t get what you expect, even if you walk into the theater with a copy of the script!
