Metamorphoses (play) - Spectacle

Spectacle

The primary feature in any production of Metamorphoses is the pool, which generally sits center stage and occupies most of the stage. The pool is central to all of the stories told in Zimmerman's Metamorphoses, though its function changes throughout. The pool becomes, at varying times in the production, a swimming pool, a washing basin, the River Styx of the Underworld, and the sea, amongst other items. Aside from the pool, the stage consists of a platform bordering the pool, a chandelier hanging above, a large depiction of the sky upstage and right of the pool, and a set of double doors, upstage left of the pool. The stage has been described as "reminiscent of paintings by Magritte and the dream states they evoke."

The costumes of the play are described as "evocative of a generalized antiquity but one in which such things as suspenders and trousers are not unknown." Images of the play show actors wearing costumes that range from classic Grecian togas to modern bathing suits, sometimes in the same scene. This juxtaposition of old and new is particularly striking in the story of Midas, in which Midas is shown wearing a smoking jacket while being confronted by a drunken reveler in a half-toga and vine leaves in his hair.