“Red Red Red” is an extraordinary ordinary play. Ordinary in that this story of adolescent love and angst is simple and universal. Extraordinary in that this particular teenager is a mythological monster, one of the three-bodied red cattle of Geryon, whom Hercules must steal. Life is hard for an adolescent monster. But what adolescent – especially what Queer adolescent – doesn’t feel like a monster at times?
As played by the exceptional Romeo Channer, Red is a wonderfully sensitive, emotionally generous monster, exposing their heart (their three hearts?) with little hesitation or reserve. Channer is great. Their opening monologue is musical in its variety and impact. They ride their emotions like a roller coaster. They are sad, angry, loving, humorous, witty, unworldly, altogether fascinating. And absolutely queer by any measure. Their gender presentation is thoroughly ambivalent. Are they presenting as a man? As transgender? Something undefined? They appear male, but they wear a chest binding. Their emotions follow no gender expectation. They are uniquely, clearly, thrillingly themselves. It is a perfect marriage of actor and character. Because Romeo Channer, an actor of unusual talent and emotional generosity, is clearly, like Red, uniquely and thrillingly themselves. And yet they are everyone. Nobody with any sensitivity could fail to identify with Red’s universality.
And then Red meets Hercules. It is not easy to be a monster who falls in love with a demi-god. And Hercules is well aware of their status. They toy with Red like a cat with a mouse, although perhaps not entirely indifferent. Like every beautiful lover who over lived, Hercules is at once kind, and cruel, sometimes intentionally and sometimes by accident. They are who they are. As with all the Greek mytjs of Gods and Monsters, we look upon these fantastical creatures and discover they are us. We are the Gods. We are the monsters.
Anthony Doan, who plays Hercules, is also effective as Red’s bullying brother, hilarious mother, and loving girl-pal Ana – who turns out to be having a torrid affair with, you guessed, it Hercules. Hercules is an equal opportunity loving demigod, perfectly happy, so long as the demands on them are slight and their lovers honor their god-like magnificence.
How is a monster to cope with it all?
Not go go unmentioned is the excellent work of the design team, especially a surpising set design by Christopher Fitzer that seems to actualliy participate in the action.
“Red Red Red” is witty and seductive and well performed. The power of mythology drives the story, as it should. The emotionally accessible acting gives it plenty of resonance.
“Red Red Red” continues at the Oakland Theater Project through May 19. For further information, click here.
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Rating: *** 1/2 (For an explanation of Theatrestorm’s rating scale, click here.)
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