(Left to right) Aiden Abraham, Renee Young, and Laura Holland. Photo by Katie Simmons-Barth.
‘Quarry Theatre’s mission is to “engage audiences with compelling storytelling that reflect contemporary social issues.” Their production of “The Red Shoes: Soul Stories,” at Theatre Project, centers on the themes of substance abuse, addiction, and mental health disparities that plague American communities throughout the United States. Conceived and directed by Ryan Clark, the play places the audience center stage with the pain, hurt, and degradation of drug addiction juxtaposed with the fairy tale, “The Red Shoes,” by the Danish poet and author, Hans Christian Anderson.
This ensemble of three, portraying multiple roles, executes their various roles with finesse.
Anderson’s story is about a young peasant girl, Corrine, who gets adopted by a rich, old lady after her mother’s death. Corrine has a roughly-made pair of red shoes and after her adoption, her step-mother buys her a pair of red shoes fit for a princess. She is so enamored with them, she wears them to church. She is told by the old woman that she can never wear them to church again, only black shoes. Corrine’s obsession with the red shoes and a soldier’s curse cause her to dance non-stop. She asks an executioner to cut off her feet, which he does, replacing them with a pair of wooden legs and crutches. The following Sunday, Corrine attempts to attend church but the dancing red shoes bar the way. When Sunday come again, she sits home and prays. An angel appears and gives Corrine the mercy for which she has been praying, and is she is flown to heaven.
In his Director’s Notes, Ryan Clark best encapsulates the plays theme by saying “Corrine must go through a long painful journey to reconcile her addiction to the red shoes similar to the road addicts and their families travel.” As a self-described, devised theatre piece, this production seeks to educate while entertaining the audience in ways both obvious and subtle. One of the obvious way is in the dialogue which uses a poetic flow, describing poignant brutal facts surrounding substance abuse. At the opening, Laura Holland enlightens us as to some statistics: “In Baltimore, 24% of people live below the poverty line compared to 9.9% of people statewide.” Her delivery, though smooth, does prick the conscious.
Another obvious example is a series of monologues, performed poignantly by all three actors. Aiden Abraham leaves an impression through his monologue on stealing from his kid. The punch line hits hard as he delivers the last line: “Does the father who steals $10 from his kid in quarters replace them with a twenty? (Crying…) No. Of course not.” Renee Young delivers a strong, believable character in her monologue as the drug dealer. This ensemble of three, portraying multiple roles, executes their various roles with finesse.
What caught my eye, in particular, were a series of subtle symbols that carried great significance. The use of music strategically augmented the action on stage. Composed by Patrick Alexander, the music contained electronic tracks accompanied by a single solo instrumentalist, Johanna McGuire (saxophonist, clarinetist, and flutist). This combination created excellent tension and mood in the right places at the right times. Another brilliant symbol was the prop piece of five chairs, one stool, and six scarfs representing the twelve steps to recovery, complemented by lighting design by J.R. Schroyer.
Running Time: One hour with no intermission.
“The Red Shoes: Soul Stories” runs through September 14, 2024 at the Theater Project, 45 W. Preston Street, Baltimore, MD 21201. For more information and to purchase tickets, go online.
