Sex, love, power dynamics and the taboo of homosexuality. Man playing women, women playing men, and a black servant performed by a white man. Set in both Victorian times and in modern London, Cloud Nine has managed to deliver a story of complex relationships that despite including controversial themes such as incest and homosexuality, has been well received by the audience.
This humorous, though dramatic British play written by Caryl Churchill opened in 1979 in London and then came to the United States in 1981. Cloud Nine is now being performed at the Linda Gross Theater, produced by the Atlantic Theater Company and directed by James Macdonald. After more than three decades of being widely produced, this play has been revived in New York, making of it a modern classic that has managed to trespass time and come alive once again.
Set in a British colony in Africa during Victorian times, the first act starts by showing us a family household: Clive (Clarke Thorell), a master attempting to civilize the savages in the colony; his delicate and always anguished wife Betty (Chris Perfetti), their effeminate little son Edward (Brooke Bloom), and their baby Victoria, played by a puppet. There is also their loyal servant Joshua (Sean Dugan), their governess Ellen (Izzie Steele), and Maud (Lucy Owen), the intrusive mother-in-law with a bitter character. As a master of the colony and of his family, Clive demands honor and respect from everyone around him, leaving true affection and passion aside; however, everyone in the household is constantly concealing and hiding their true desires from one another. The complex interactions within the household, such as Clive’s lustful relationship with the widow Mrs. Saunders (Izzie Steel), Ellen’s love for Betty, as well as Betty’s and little Edward’s infatuation towards the charming explorer Harry Bagley (John Sanders) are constantly threatening to break the notions of honor and respect that are highly valued in the household.
In the second act, the same family, with the exception of Clive, Maud, Joshua and Ellen, appears 25 years older, although this time the story in set in London in 1979. Victoria (Lucy Owen) and Edward (Chris Perfetti) are now adults that are constantly struggling to find happiness in their lives. Victoria does so by breaking free from an unsatisfactory marriage and experimenting with her new partner Lin (Izzie Steele), while Edward is trying to avoid getting too deep into an unhealthy relationship with Gerry (Sean Dugan) a very unreliable and self-centered man while also forming a household with Victoria and Lin. Betty is also trying to be more content with her life as a single independent woman, after having lived as a housewife for many years.
Regarding the casting of Cloud Nine, all of the actors were double casted, and many of them were so across the gender lines. For example, Chris Perfetti, which rendered an entertaining performance of Betty’s character in the first act, transitions from being a mother into being a son in the second act by later performing Edward’s character. Interestingly enough, Edward’s character in the first act was performed by Brooke Bloom, which later performs Betty’s character in a very truthful and convincing manner. Additionally, Clarke Thorell’s performance of Clive’s character in the first act is contrasted with the performance of little Cathy, which is Lin’s daughter in the second act. This is because Thorell transitions from performing a dominant and powerful character to performing a little and less powerful one during the second half of the play.
The interaction between the audience and the playing space in Cloud Nine is one that fosters connection, as well as a greater sense of immersion in the play. The production is set in the round; the traditional seating has been modified and replaced with circular bleachers. As a result, the play is performed in the center, having the performers moving around the audience and going in and out from different points of the stage. Additionally, the lighting illuminates not only the stage, but also the audience. Because of the choice of lighting and design, instead of being insulated from view and having a protected voyeuristic experience, the audience has more intimacy with the events that occur in the play, and a greater level of exposure.
Being a play that portrays complex family relationships that are influenced by sexual desire and dominance and regulated by forgiveness and love, Cloud Nine is a modern classic that will leave the audience to grapple with their own feelings, emotions and ideas. To those who would not mind experiencing such a level of vulnerability and exposure while being immersed in a story that constantly challenges societal expectations and notions, Cloud Nine is without a doubt a play to consider watching.