THE CENCI
Off-Off Loop Theatre Festival
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Cenci is accustomed to buying protection from punishment for his crimes by paying off the pope — the authority figure who embodies the hypocrisy Cenci despises; so when Beatrice and her mother and little brother apply to the pope for shelter from Cenci, their petition is refused. Beatrice’s only choice is to murder her father — an act you might think would trouble her after all the praying and Bible-kissing she’s been doing. But rather than rebel against religion, Beatrice views herself as an innocent in the sight of God and her action as a holy one — a view she maintains even when she is executed for patricide.
If Peterson intends to refine this ambitious and unusual project further, she needs to come to grips with Cenci as a charismatic figure, and to develop Beatrice into a character more her father’s equal; cutting back on the declamatory dialogue and building on the mysterious, nightmarish visual aspects of the work would help. In any case, The Cenci is well worth seeing for Neumann’s chilling performance, effectively complemented by Thom Miller’s lighting and Adam Gorgoni’s electric guitar and synthesizer sound track.
