Forced Farce Rains on ‘Cloud Nine’

While “Cloud Nine” attempts to “put a flag in new lands,” this Loeb Ex production doesn’t manage to score. Playing until April 26, “Cloud Nine,” directed by James M. Leaf ’09-’10 and produced by Anusha Deshpande ’09, is a commentary on gender roles and sexual repression that does not manage to be insightful enough or provide a big enough laugh to make the three-hour production worthwhile. The cast makes an admirable attempt at humor, but ultimately the production has difficulty gelling into an enjoyable final product.

The play uses colonization as a parallel to sexual repression. The first act, which takes place in colonial Africa, is played as a satire with the majority of the characters either gay or portrayed by the wrong member of each sex. During the second act, which takes place in Britain during the 1970s, the sexually repressed characters break free of societal bounds in the more liberal era. The younger characters decide to have an orgy, and Betty (Elyssa Jakim ’10), an older and recently divorced woman, discusses her realization of the merits of masturbation. The problem, however, is that the things that sound strange are indeed strange, and the things that sound funny are not as funny as they sound.

The performances in “Cloud Nine” are generally good, but not good enough to make the three hours rewarding. The gender and character transformations between the first and second acts give the actors an opportunity to prove their versatility. Jugo Kapetanovic ’07, in drag during the first act, walks the line between funny and gratingly typical with his obnoxiously squeaky voice, but he provides a solid performance in the second act. Jakim plays both an energetic little boy and a conservative divorcee well. Rob D. Salas ’08 is almost aggravating in his colonizing patriarchal role yet manages to portray a young girl with wonderful liveliness and characterization. Alex R. Breaux ’09 provides an excellent anchor to the ridiculousness in the first act and continues to hold attention during his monologues about casual gay sex. The ensemble does its best, and while they manage to produce some laughs with their over-the-top antics and well-timed sexual puns, by the time they reach the more serious second half, the audience is half gone.

The technical aspects support the production effectively. The set during the first act features fantastic wooden panels of a brightly colored African house which rotates to allow for cast entrance and exit, while a panel of the Saharan sunset flanks the other side of the stage. The British flag, which hangs prominently during the first act, is only held in place by one corner during the second, making it obvious that the political landscape has changed. The costumes are all generally effective and appropriate, ranging from the desert wear of the first act to the bohemian dresses and straw bags of the second. The wig that Kapetanovic wears while in drag could not be worse. It showcases his sideburns, which is intentional but unnecessary, as Kapetanovic, with his masculine facial structure and hairy arms, is quite obviously a man.

There is very little to be grateful for in this production. Although the first half manages to produce a few laughs, as when the on-stage oral sex occurs, it is not quite funny enough to adequately entertain. The attempts at humor that occur during the first act do not sufficiently prepare the audience for the less entertaining second half, which is drier and tries harder to make its point after an hour and a half has already been spent producing a farce. One of the characters describes herself as “restless” in her marriage—and “Cloud Nine” manages to achieve the same result.