Oyá: Call the Storm is a mystical and compelling story
of spirits and danger: a perfect work for the Miracle Theatre Group to
have taken on this season. Afro-Cuban drumming, an original score,
creative choreography, and a brilliant set and costumes set the stage
for something that could be truly incredible. And although a work like
this is exactly what we have come to love and expect from Miracle, it
doesn’t feel fully realized.
Oyá (Freila Merencio Blanco) is a feminine warrior spirit in
the African Yoruba tradition, ruler of the wind and cemeteries: She can
conjure storms and hurricanes, breathe life into a human, or allow it
to be whisked away. Her best friend Ikú (Luciana Proaño)
is the spirit of death, always looking to lead humans from this life
into the next.
In this story, conceived and directed by Rebecca Martínez,
Ikú has challenged Oyá to destroy the world. But when
Oyá calls forth a terrifying storm, she witnesses the humanity
of three mortals who are guarded by the spirits of masculinity,
femininity, and playfulness (Carlos Alexis Cruz, Mayra Acevedo, Maya
Malán-Gonzales, respectively). Each character’s heartbreaking
story is told in dance and movement; Freila Merencio Blanco not only
plays Oyá, but she also choreographed the show, and she has made
excellent use of each performer’s personal range. José Eduardo
González’s set evokes a ship as well as a pier: weather-beaten
boards intersect at harsh angles, while a long, white cloth is
alternately a sail and the sea itself. Martínez and Blanco have
used every inch of the playing space, and the scenes are often rich and
layered.
Among the cast, Cruz, an athletic performer who also works with Do
Jump!, steals the show with his feats of sheer acrobatic artistry. The
staggering difference between his physicality and the rest of the
cast’s is somewhat jarring, though, and highlights other disparities.
Some scenes have few to no spoken words, while in others the characters
muddle through poorly scripted dialogue that interrupts the story’s
flow.
It’s an admirable effort, and unlike anything else running on any
other stage right now. It simply feels unfinished, or unedited. But a
Miracle show that doesn’t reach its full potential is still profoundly
interesting and thought provoking, simply because its potential is so
great.