A Night of Gossip and Immortal Drama
Review of The Pomegranate Tree at Dacha Theatre
Written by TeenTix Newsroom Writer ELSIE REA and edited by Teen Editorial Staff member KYLE GERSTEL
The Pomegranate Tree, created and directed by Suz Pontillo and Ayla Wren Wallace, is nothing short of a fun time. The experience is part play, part party, and part choose-your-own-adventure game. The best part is that you can choose exactly what you want it to be at any given time.
The experience invites you, mortals, to be a guest at the wedding of Hades and Persephone along with gods and heroes of Greek myth. Audience members were given a coin upon entering the waiting area. For those unfamiliar with Greek mythology, in ancient Greece, people were buried with coins under their tongues to serve as payment for their passage to the afterlife. Details in the show are consistently accurate to the original myths. We were then led into the main room and introduced to the story by Kharon, the ferryman, and Hecate, the goddess of magic. The area consisted of a small stage at the front with two thrones, a grove with a pomegranate tree, a bar in the back, and several tables towards the sides of the room. The design was relatively simple yet well-crafted and thought out. It served the purposes of the show well.
The experience was structured to have a main and side story throughout the evening. The side stories take place mostly through audience interaction with characters. The first of such experiences happened in the lobby, where I made small talk with Orpheus. He picked up a coin another guest had dropped, explained that he was trying to sneak into the wedding, and asked if he could hide behind me. This interaction previewed the rest of his storyline throughout the night. Almost every single character has a side plotline that either weaves into or runs alongside the main story.
Sometimes it is hard to keep track of everything that is going on, given that the stories all progress alongside one another. The directors addressed this aspect of the show in a speech at the end, stating that each guest’s experience is unique and that it is impossible to experience everything in one night. The personalized nature of the show is one of its main strengths, keeping guests totally engaged each step of the way. It also means that you get out what you put in. The experience relies on audience members actively seeking out information and engagement. Someone could theoretically sit at a no-interaction table and just watch, but they would end up missing most of the side plotlines entirely. Thus, I believe committing fully to engaging with the cast and other guests is the best way to go into The Pomegranate Tree.
Despite all that’s going on in the background, there were also distinguishable main events in the storyline following Hades and Persephone that the audience gathered around to interact with. Without spoiling too much, the show mainly revolved around Demeter’s journey to accept and respect her daughter’s autonomy and power. This storyline served to contextualize the rest of the experience to make it more cohesive as a whole rather than many separate stories. However, it also happened to be an aspect of the show I didn’t enjoy quite as much. It felt hard to keep track of and pin down, which ended up undermining some of the strong closing scenes at the end. There were several very compelling scenes where the writing felt emotionally resonant. But given there was so much going on, that momentum got lost instead of staying consistent throughout.
The acting of Demeter and Hades also felt somewhat over-the-top, almost forced at times. Due to how casual much of the show is, it ended up standing out. It felt jarring to go straight from gossiping with Dionysis to seeing Demeter weep dramatically about her daughter’s engagement. Most of the experience is very down-to-earth, with characters interacting casually with guests. The discrepancies between these aspects make the show feel unfocused at times. Further, the emotional core of the show is built on these gods being not so different from us and having very similar struggles with each other. Trying to elevate it into a dramatic story of cosmic proportions sabotaged that message.
Overall, The Pomegranate Tree from Dacha Theatre is a fun experience with a lot of heart in it. The execution doesn’t always land due to some of the acting and the scattered nature of the story, but it is still creative and lively. I would highly recommend The Pomegranate Tree for anyone seeking a unique experience with lots of layers to explore.
Lead photo by Brett Love.
The TeenTix Newsroom is a group of teen writers led by the Teen Editorial Staff. For each review, Newsroom writers work individually with a teen editor to polish their writing for publication. The Teen Editorial Staff is made up of 6 teens who curate the review portion of the TeenTix blog. More information about the Teen Editorial Staff can be found HERE.
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