Published on: Wednesday, May 27, 2009

By David Cannon, Sentinel Arts Critic

Horror is a misunderstood genre, even by some of the artists who practice it. Yes, there are aspects of horror that need to be repulsive and disgusting, but you also need the opposite emotions for everything to work. You need to pity Lionel Talbot as well as be terrified when he turns into the Wolf Man. There is horror to the Frankenstein Monster as well as the wonder of creating life.

British writer Clive Barker understands that better than any living horror writer and the Constellation Theater proves its knowledge with its current production of Barker’s dark fantasy “Crazyface.” What could have been a jumble of styles and errant plot devices all comes together in an evening that is silly, mystical, terrifying, darkly humorous and occasionally profound.

The main character is a hero of German folk legends – Tyl Eulenspiegel, here nicknamed Crazyface.  Legends have Tyl as a rather profane prankster, but Barker sees him as an innocent fool who can see angels, unwittingly gets into a ton of trouble, and just as naively escapes. Barker gives us a grimly realistic medieval world of inquisitions, rampant warfare and roaming bandits. It is also a carnival world of clowns and actors in horse costumes, where there might be a Pope Joan and actual witches who can literally raise the dead.

Barker is best known in this country as the writer of several best-selling books like “Weaveworld” and the Books of Blood, and as the film maker who gave us “Gods and Monsters” and “Hellraiser.” Yes, Pinhead is from Barker’s fertile imagination, but Barker got his start in theater. The writer truly has a good sense of theater as he carefully moves a number of interrelated plots forward to their conclusion.

Constellation Theater states its mission as creating “epic, ensemble theater” and “Crazyface” certainly fills that criteria.  Director Allison Arkell Stockman keeps a dozen actors in motion with rapid costume changes and most actors playing multiple roles. The result creates its own kaleidoscopic world  using the simplest of means.  A voyage to the underworld is done with simple fog effects. Parts of A. J Guban’ set and lighting design come apart for a peasant wedding or an infernal dungeon. Tom Teasley provides live music plus a slew of sound effects.

Ashley Ivey anchors this play as the likeable, if at times exasperating, Tyl Eulenspiegel. The rest of the cast plays a variety of roles, although Amy Quiggens is quite funny as Tyl’s sister Annie, who has an equally eventful life story. There are good turns in supporting roles by Joseph Thornhill as Tyl’s sinister brother, Joe Brack, as a less than helpful Angel only Tyl can see, and Lisa Lias as Tyl’s nemesis Mengo– plus a trio of actors as foreign spies that form a Medieval Three Stooges ensemble.

Central to what is happening on stage is a search for a puzzle box – a hat tip to the Rubik’s Cube device made famous in “Hellraiser.” The contents prove both elaborate and anti-climatic. It is probably the weakest aspect of the script as you try to keep track of who currently has the box and who knows where it is. Bear with that plot device. If the solution to the puzzle is rather mundane, the journey turns out to be quite a thrilling roller coaster ride.

“Crazyface” continues at Constellation Theater at the Source Theater through June 14. For tickets, call 1-800-494-8497. For more information, go online to www.ConstellationTheatre.org.

3 Stars