In the Spirit

The spirit of Isabel Allende’s memorable Chilean family saga and historical novel The House of the Spirits is alive and well in the Denver Center Theatre Company’s new staging of Caridad Svich’s adaptation, with a few small changes.

But, notes DCTC spokeswoman Genevieve Miller, those are taken care of through a few deft technical tricks. “The playwright first wrote in Spanish and then wrote the translation in English,” Miller says. “It was an opportunity for her to change some things. In English, it became a little more brutal.” And, she continues, “It’s not as linear and narrative as the book. The time passage has been tweaked, and the play instead sets the pace and moods by using wall projections.” After viewing the staging in rehearsal with a group, “We all walked away most excited about the projections and staging. There’s a real attempt to make a play on its literary roots, with words from actual novel being projected. And it’s a lovely script. You’d think a play based on an epic novel like that would be four hours long, but it really goes by very quickly.”

The regional premiere continues daily through October 23 in the Space Theatre in the Denver Performing Arts Complex; admission ranges from $18 to $57. Reserve tickets at www.denvercenter.org or call 303-893-4100.
Fri., Sept. 17; Fridays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays, 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.; Mondays-Thursdays, 6:30 p.m. Starts: Sept. 17. Continues through Oct. 23, 2010