"The Love of Don Perlimplin for Belisa in his Garden" is a magical experience

"My thirst will never be quenched," says Belisa, the young wife of Don Perplimlin. She's not talking about water, either.

Director Sue Foss has created a moving, almost magical interpretation of the play "The Love of Don Perlimplin for Belisa in his Garden." Orginally written by the Spanish playwright Frederico Garcia Lorca, it was translated and adapted for the Masque production by Jim Nichols.

The story begins with the fifty year old Don Perlimplin being pressured to marry by his maid, Marcolfa. The object of his affection is Belisa, his neighbor's daughter, who sings in the night about love and passion. The initial action takes place on their respective balconies, which look beautiful and are to the right and left of the stage, giving the impression that the audience is on the street below, watching the action. Don Perlimplin and Belisa then engage in an uproarious parody of balcony scenes from other plays. The scene ends with Belisa's mother agreeing to give her daughter away in marriage to Don Perlimplin. Belisa protests at being married to such a "funny old man," when she would prefer to be satisfied by younger men.

On their wedding night, the curtain is closed by two sprites, who keep the audience from watching as five men enter Belisa's room to satisfy her and then leave again. The curtain is opened again, and the dynamic of the play begins to shift from light comedy to tragedy. Don Perlimplin is not unaware of Belisa's affairs, but he loves her anyway. So much so, that he promises to aid Belisa in capturing the attention of a young man in a red cloak, who sends letters to Belisa that inflame her passion.

At this point as well, the action has shifted to the main stage. There is an incredible piece of set design in which the entire dining room, which is designed in perspective, is moved onto the stage with Don Perlimplin and Marcolfa.

The man in the red cloak sends a message to Belisa to meet him in the garden at 10pm. As Belisa waits, her husband arrives, vowing to kill the man in the cloak so that Belisa can be with him forever-never worrying about rejection or anything else. The play ends with Don Perlimplin's death-in a scene so moving that this writer won't try to describe it.

The cast for this play was phenomonal. Shauna Malone captured perfectly the spirit of the freewheeling Belisa, while Marc Cryan never lost command of the complexities of his character. No one in the play wavered as the tone of the play shifted from comedy to tragedy, and the dialogue transitions between natural conversation and poetry were seamless.

By far, this is one of the best productions that Masque has put on. The only thing wrong with this play is that it was shown for only three days (February 8-10). This is one of those plays that you wish would run for years so you can keep going back to recapture its magic.