Stellar ‘Big Love’ opening shocks audience

"Big Love” director John Maness said he thought audiences would be shocked by the show’s openly suggestive content. \nBut he forgot some other things they might be shocked by – the production’s talented actors and top-notch script.\n“Big Love” opened Friday night in Wells-Metz Theatre to a nearly full house. Funny, sexy and smart, the show is a big hit. \nIn the play, 50 sisters are being forced by their father to marry their 50 cousins. The women, represented on stage by three sisters named Lydia, Olympia and Thyonia, flee from their native Greece to Italy to avoid being married. \nThey arrive at the home of Piero, a rich Italian man played by junior Jeff Montague, and seek refuge there. At the Piero’s nephew Giuliano, a flamboyant character played by senior Thomas Choinacky, who spends the production wearing an outfit that is half wedding dress, half tuxedo. One of the more entertaining moments in the show is when Giuliano, Olympia and Bella – Piero’s widowed mother, played by senior Hannah Moss – join together in a rendition of the classic Gershwin song “Someone to Watch Over Me.” \nThe 50 brothers, represented by three characters named Constantine, Nikos and Oed, soon find their fiances and negotiate with Piero so that the wedding takes place. \n“Big Love” is rife with characters that epitomize gender stereotypes. Junior Claire Smith is flawless as the ferocious feminist Thyonia, while junior Tara Goldsborough successfully portrays the submissive Olympia. Junior Melanie Derleth plays Lydia, whose disposition lies between her sisters’ contrasting positions on the female personality spectrum. Michael Borgmann plays the pig-headed, arrogant Constantine perfectly, and junior Jason Nelson is subtle yet solid as the sensitive Nikos. \nSide characters Leo and Eleanor, played by senior Dylan Weinberger and senior Emily Chovanec, add sexy humor to the show. \nMee’s script shines in its exploration of the complexities of modern gender roles. The actors astound when the brothers and sisters of the cast separately share their experiences as male and female society members. The cast emphatically pounds on the floor and loudly voices frustrations with society’s gender constraints and with the opposite sex. These powerful scenes certainly leave audience members contemplating what it means to be a man or a woman in today’s world. \n“Big Love” starts at 7:30 p.m. from March 26 through 31 in the Wells-Metz Theatre. The production features adult situations and full-frontal nudity. Ticket prices are $16 for adults and $13 seniors, and anyone 30 and younger. Student rush tickets are sold the day of each performance.