What I liked
n/a
What I didn't like
n/a
My overall impression
An absolutely stunning performance by Christina Evans, set in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery at the foot of the Italian marble mausoleum of philanthropist William Clark Jr., who founded the L.A. Philharmonic in 1919. Inscribed above the large bronze doors in Latin it reads: “The sweet memory of our beloved chases away the fear of death, the nature of heaven gives hope of a new life,” which serves as moving theme of Evans’ interpretive dance piece.
What immediately came to mind through Christina’s movement was my recent tour of the arboretum on the Stanford University campus where there is a replica of The Angel of Grief, the 1894 sculpture by William Wetmore Story for the grave of his wife Emelyn Story at the Protestant Cemetery in Rome. I almost couldn’t be pulled away from it as dazzled as I was by the extreme expression of sadness and loss in the buried face body language of the figure. I wish I could drop a photo here. You should look for it if you can.
Accompanied by a soundtrack of classical music—with loving and yet elegantly turbulent movement, like a living Rodin sculpture—she silently celebrates the inevitable transition of our existence. But she makes it feel like it’s okay. She is filled with light and hope as she moves amongst scattered roses on her stage, gracefully avoiding the thorny stems, saying, in my interpretation, that we, too, can possibly navigate our challenging lives with grace and beauty.
The only words spoken are taken from the grave markers surrounding the Sylvan Lake of the cemetery. They become universal, as it’s inevitable that someone we know comes to mind when hearing the loving or witty epitaphs of these long past strangers. Finally, as the music swells, she reads from two or three word epitaph cards that the audience completed on the way to our seats. It was emotional, uplifting, and glorious. Highly Recommended – Richard Lucas, Asylum Judge
