Filled with existential humor, Los Altos Stage Company’s production of “The Skin of Our Teeth” shows off the talents of its small ensemble cast.
Featuring fewer than 10 performers, the production of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer-Prize winning play is scheduled to run through May 5 at the Bus Barn Theater. Chris Reber directs.
Although an ensemble production, “Teeth” is centered around the lives of two characters. They are George Antrobus (Michael Hirsch), famed inventor of the wheel, the alphabet, the lever and more, and his wife Maggie (Mary Hill), equal parts dutiful housewife and monstrous mother.
The two, married more than 5,000 years, traverse a cyclical allegory for the spirit and life of mankind throughout the show’s three acts. Alongside them are their two children, Henry (Max Mahle) and Gladys (Emily Krayn), along with pessimistic maid Sabina (Kristin Walter).
“Teeth” takes place in an amalgamation of time periods and places, moving from a house in New Jersey during the dawn of the Ice Age to the Atlantic City Boardwalk at the start of the Noachian flood and finally the end times.
The thematic content is equally complex, with heavy Biblical and classical philosophical influence, but well-timed jokes bring levity to the show’s heavy and chaotic atmosphere.
The character Sabina adds in a layer of metanarrative, breaking the fourth wall throughout the show to demand that scenes be reworked or speak with the audience. In her performance, Walter switches smoothly between the distinct personas of an anxious maid, a flirtatious beauty queen and a jaded actor.
For a venue of its size, the 99-seat Bus Barn Theater sports an impressive lighting and sound setup, as well as a polished set.
As with past Los Altos Stage Company productions, there is always something going on onstage – a new prop pulled out of a handbag or a silent conversation between two side characters – and thanks to the dedication and talent of the actors, even a foam cylinder can become a believable stone wheel to the audience.
Each role and scene are played with vivacity, from Hirsch and Hill’s screaming matches as the Antrobuses to Olga Molina’s Fortune Teller monologue.
There are also tasteful technological additions. Screens on either side of the stage display videos that expand the set, preview character entrances, provide transitions between scenes and more. And speakers in the back of the room give a surround-sound feel.
The performance has an almost three-hour runtime, along with one 15-minute intermission and one brief pause separating the play’s three acts.
For a community production, “Teeth” goes above and beyond, with engaging performances across the board.
Remaining performances are scheduled 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays through May 5. Tickets are $22-$45.
For tickets and more information, visit losaltosstage.org.
