REVIEW: ‘A Soldier’s Tale’ is a one-of-a-kind production
Based from the Russian folk tale, “The Runaway Soldier and the Devil,” the theatrical musical piece “A Soldier’s Tale,” composed by Igor Stravinksy, is a septet of a violin, double bass, clarinet, bassoon, cornet, or trumpet, trombone and percussion. It contains three actors: a soldier, the Devil, and a narrator, as well as a dancer who plays the silent princess.
On Thursday night, the production came to life at USU.
The story is about a soldier coming back from war to his mother and girlfriend, but on the way the Devil finds him and temps him. The soldier gives the devil his prized possession – a violin which also symbolizes the soul – in exchange for a book that will help him obtain all he needs in this world. The soldier becomes rich and in the process loses everyone.
The Devil comes back to him while in disguise and tries to sell the soldier’s violin. The soldier buys the violin but the Devil still has his soul. In order to be free from the Devil and get his soul back, the soldier challenges the Devil to a game of cards, wins and secures his soul.
The soldier then starts a new life; he travels to a village where he hears of a princess that refuses to do anything but lay in her bed. If any man can convince the princess to leave her rest, he can then marry her. The soldier accepts the challenge and succeeds. The Devil appears and tempts the soldier again by trying to get the soldier to leave behind his current life and return to his past.
“The moral of the story is to look for happiness, be happy with what you have and not be greedy,” said Jose Santana, the director of the production.
The concert had a very interesting atmosphere. Two pieces were played as standalone sections. They were followed the third piece, a section accompanied by actors. This added to the atmosphere that gave a feeling that was nearly that of a musical play. But the actors didn’t sing; They did however speak diction and portrayal often attributed to poets, with loud dynamics at times that emphasized the individual parts of the actors.
“I wanted the actors to get involved with the audience” Santana said. The actor playing the Devil led the actor playing the soldier into a corner area of the audience and slowly walked – with a brilliant and menacing smile on his face – behind the section of the audience he was near.
The performance was definitely one of a kind.
“My favorite part was the ending because you just don’t know what happens,” said Jayden Barker, an undeclared USU student. It was clearly seen on his face – and on everyone else’s – that the performance was well done and successful.