This Chicago import from Lookingglass Theater Company made a big splash last March when it opened at Circle in the Square, my favorite Broadway venue. About a dozen of the fabulous myths narrated by the great Roman poet Ovid are retold around and inside a spacious pool of water. The medium is perfect for simulating the mutability of mortals who become playthings of the gods. Trouble is, the Lookingglass gloss on Metamorphoses strips away the sensuality and the wit of Ovid, overlaying a mocking comedy of its own. Nor was the spectacle, water and all, as impressive -- or creative -- as I'd hoped. Until the concluding Philemon and Baucis, the myths seemed mostly dumbed-down and trivialized.
But even if these weren't truly Ovid's metamorphoses, what a treat to see it all at Circle in the Square. For all their Second City slickness, these mythic skits are undeniably enchanting, and it's encouraging that Broadway theatergoers embraced such unique fare.
