review
By Sylvana SilverWitch
Having missed The Rite of Jupiter starring Jon Sewell and produced by the Golden Apple Camp, (a Seattle-area OTO body) and presented in March of 2001, I was excited to have the opportunity to see The Rite of Luna as the final installment in the collection of Aleister Crowley's ongoing performance series of the Rites of Eleusis -- a succession of seven passion plays. By the testimony of my High Priest, Blackcat, who reviewed it for Widdershins, the Rite of Jupiter had been a wonderfully magickal rite.
I had been looking forward to attending this new, three-years-in-the-making production, as the Web page describes: "Each narrative follows the course of the creative power of the universe through one of the seven celestial spheres known to the ancients, until the introduction of chaos degrades the integrity of the sphere, and the creative force slips one step further from its pure origins in the world of the immortals to the mortal world. Luna contains the final twist, depicting a path that symbolizes a return to the immortal purity, as well as several examples of those paths that will not lead to attainment."
I arrived at Hugo House, a venue that I had never been to before, and though I found it easily, parking on Capital Hill was tricky as always. I got in with only moments to spare, but once I got a glass of wine and was seated and settled, it was cozy, up-close and personal, which I always enjoy.
A number of my coven friends from Sylvan Grove and our sister coven, Green Star Grove, were also present, about 13 in all. We all had heard about the event from one or two eager friends who had seen the first show and had rave reviews. So we all made the plans to attend the Saturday night performance and then go out for drinks nearby. I was happy to be out on a balmy spring evening.
When I agreed to write this review, I looked forward to experiencing this rite and was expecting to love it. I previously enjoyed one or two of the songs when I saw them performed by Jon at the Spring Mysteries Festival 2005 Talent Show; and I really fancied the songs, the energy of the performer and the delivery. Also, the recommendations of my friends who had seen prior plays by this troupe played into my expectations somewhat. In the case of this evening's performance, however, I was disappointed that the quality of the performance left a lot to be desired.
On the surface, The Rite of Luna is a retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast and has great potential as a rock opera. Jon Sewell made a gallant effort in composing the music for this rite. I certainly agree that a rock opera is the perfect showcase for the Crowley material! I enjoyed all of the original music and thought it was quite good and seemed to fit well enough with the material.
The delivery, however, was a horse of a different color. The beginning of this rite is tedious, repetitive and confusing. Even though I was familiar with it, I didn't recognize it until well into the invocations. It's not an easy ritual to play out as entertainment, and some of the parts were amazingly well done while others were just okay.
True to most Crowley rituals I have seen, this one was difficult to follow, even for individuals familiar with the material. It was not always clear who was who and what exactly they were doing until well into the play. In my opinion, The Gnostic Mass, also produced by local OTO camps in the past, is more accessible to the average viewer.
I enjoyed the projections of the pentagrams on a large screen behind the stage while the performers went through the motions of the opening of the rite. I enjoyed the dancing of the Fauns and Faeries and most of it was well done, expressive and precise.
Sadly, few of the vocal performers seemed to have had enough vocal training. Jon Sewell, Melissa Holm and Amanda Hauk were the exceptions to the lack of vocal skill -- but the fact that they were fairly good served to point up those who couldn't carry a tune in a basket. I don't mean that everyone else was just slightly off, either. Daniel Webster must have spent his voice on the prior evening's performances as he "sang" in a veritable croak; flat, hoarse and off key. He might have benefited the most from some vocal instruction about how to project and protect his vocal cords, as he sounded strained and seemed most uncomfortable.
I felt that the vocals could also have used some additional amplification because the voices were muddled, faint, strained and hard to hear in most instances. Even the spoken words were indiscernible at times.
Some of my favorites in the cast had few speaking/singing parts and had to rely upon their facial and bodily expressions to convey the story. Notable for exceptional acting and enthusiasm were Eric Cagle, Amanda Hauk, Jon Sewell and assorted Fauns and Faeries. There was one Faun in particular that I wanted to take home with me to keep as a pet.
Melissa Holm as Cancer was very strong in some places and tentative and weak in others, leaving me with the impression that she either was very nervous or didn't know the material well enough. She was effective but could have been better. I could at least see some potential in her acting, singing and ritual ability and she looked great in a corset. Katie Cashatt was cast as Luna and did a fine job on the final violin solo, though I was unsure of how or why it fit into the piece.
The rite was centered around Pan, the Nymph and the Satyr and I must say that Jon Sewell made a compellingly wicked and lusty Pan, the warm night made even hotter by his performance. Eric Cagle did a fine job as the Satyr, his sweet and sexy adoration of the Nymph and jealousy of Pan almost palpable. The Nymph, Amanda Hauk, was at the same time innocent, sexy and clever, finally triumphing over Pan's lusty advances. Daniel Webster as Taurus was somewhat tired and though his acting was uneven and his singing left me wanting earplugs, maybe this was just a bad day overall for him?
I hope that the future brings us more of this unique ritual drama, and that with constructive criticism the subsequent productions will improve. The rite was sold out for much of the run here in Seattle, so there is an audience...I pray Jon Sewell and company will continue to offer themselves up on the altar of ritual entertainment.
The Cast:
Jon Sewell: Pan, director, composer, musician, producer
Melissa Holm: Cancer, assistant producer, assistant
composer, musician
Amanda Hauk: Nymph, choreographer, production assistant
Daniel Christensen: Taurus, ritual advisor
Eric Cagle: Satyr
Katie Cashatt: Luna, musician, violin composer
Inna Borovik: Faerie
Jackie Fairhead: Faerie
Aaron Garner: Faun
Amber Garniss: Faerie
Nick Hinds: Faun
Tiphany Overzat: Faerie
Stephen Smith: Faun
Thom Swanson: Faun, makeup, soundtrack vocals
Cristin Williams: Faerie, soundtrack vocals
Ken Barton: musician
Joshua Books: soundtrack vocals, Webmaster, stagehand
Sabia Books: soundtrack vocals, scenic design and construction
Matthew Borjeson: stage manager
Dana Doerksen: sound technician
Joshua Hanson: scenic construction
Elizabeth McMurray-Hauk: lighting design
Gary Hauk: scenic design
Courtney Landes: multimedia design, makeup, production assistant
Jayson Nelson: stagehand
Johanna Steen: soundtrack vocals
Christopher Stephens: lighting technician
Music composed by Jon Sewell and Melissa Holm, arranged and performed by Jon Sewell, with additional percussion by Ken Barton.
The Rite of Luna is available for sale at Edge of the Circle Books in Seattle and online at www.riteofluna.com.
Copyright © 2006 by the article's author