The College of Marin has opened its 2025/26 season with Timberlake Wertenbaker’s The Love of the Nightingale, a retelling of the Philomele myth. The show, directed by Erin McBride Africa, runs in the James Dunn Theater through Oct. 19.
Please note that this review, like the play itself, deals with themes of mutilation, domestic abuse and sexual violence.
The story centers on Philomele (Arya Safavi), a young princess of Athens. Her older sister, Procne (Lissette Chao), is married off to the king of Thrace, Tereus (Gregory Wilker), and taken away to Thrace. Lonely and isolated, Procne asks Tereus to bring Philomele for a visit. Tereus does so, but on the trip home starts to lust after the young, spirited woman. After raping her, he cuts out her tongue to keep her from telling about his crimes.
All the actors should be recognized for tackling such a difficult play. Most notable were Safavi as the spirited Philomele, Polly Yurke as the conflicted Iris and Jamie Montellato as King Pandion, who gave the most grounded performance in the play.
The set designer (Huda Al-Jamal) and light designer (Walter Holden) take full advantage of the space. The minimalist set, paired with the stage-sized scrim, creates a beautiful canvas. Additionally, the use of fabric flies to change scenes is the kind of simple yet effective stagecraft that causes us theater geeks to become very excited.
Sadly, the sound design (no designer named) leaves a lot to be desired. At one point, the design includes ongoing, high-pitched electronic screeching.
The sound is not the only discordant note. McBride has made the decision to have all the actors use stylized ancient Greek acting methods instead of allowing for realism. It’s possible, given the subject matter, that the stylized acting was a way to protect the student actors from the full emotional impact of the story being told. That’s understandable given that this is at a college. But as with any highly stylized acting choices, if everyone is not at the same level, it tends to overshadow the play itself.
If one wants good theater, they have to support the students. However, it’s also hard to recommend a show that is so inherently (but fixably) flawed.
‘The Love of the Nightingale’ runs through Oct. 19 in the James Dunn Theatre at the College of Marin, 835 College Ave., Kentfield. Friday–Saturday, 7:30pm; Sunday, 2pm. Free. Donations welcome. 415.485.9385. pa.marin.edu.
