“There might not be a pithy way to describe Ouroboros,” says director Robert de los Reyes. In fact, he says, the latest show from Main Street Theater could be hard to take in with just one viewing. “Understanding it all might require a beer,” he adds. “Or three.”
Ouroboros is a contemporary play informed by the ancient concept of the ouroboro ย a snake that swallows its own tail ย producing a circular story in which the end creates the beginning, and from which there is no escape. A Lutheran minister, his wife, an Episcopalian nun and her gay male companion are vacationing and constantly crossing paths in five cities in Italy.
Both sets of pilgrims are on a spiritual quest, but for each, time flows in the opposite direction. The circular play can be performed in two ways: Ouroboros (A Nun’s Tale) and Ouroboros (A Priest’s Tale). Each has a different result, and the theater will be alternating both versions.
Confusing? Yes. “You’re not going to get a seaside chat in a gentle coming-of-age story from this playwright,” says de los Reyes, “but the concept of why a character acts versus when a character acts is what makes the show extraordinary and compelling.” Okay then. Curtain is at 8 p.m. Show continues through April 9, when a marathon back-to-back performance of the play closes out the run.
Thursdays-Sundays. Starts: March 11. Continues through April 9
This article appears in Mar 16-22, 2006.