Palo Alto High School’s fall production, Metamorphoses, opened Thursday, November 13, with a sold out performance. Twenty-one actors, taking on several roles each, performed traditional Greek myths in non-traditional settings.

Kristen Lo, Paly’s theater teacher and the play’s director, created an intimate black-box feel by fitting the entire production, including a 100-seat audience, onto the stage in Paly’s Haymarket Theater. The focal point of the minimalist set was a 17 by 11 foot pool of water and wooden deck that encompassed almost the entire stage space.

"Without the pool of water, the show would have been a lot drier," Junior Hadas Goshen said. Goshen played several roles, including Pomona in the love story of Vertumnus and Pomona, and Psyche in the story of Psyche and Eros.

Opening tableaux, performed by nine cast members, dissolved into a narrative told by three laundresses, played by sophomore Portia Carryer and seniors Jessie Ferguson and Brittany Nohra. Using the pool like a riverbank, they washed and told the myth of the greedy King Midas. Senior Aaron Spolin was outstanding in his comic portrayal of the king. The humorous tone darkened as Midas begged for his selfish gift to be taken back when his daughter, played by freshman Robin Berman, was transformed into a golden statue.

The slapstick retelling of Phaeton (freshman Peter Dolkas) and Apollo (freshman Elan Maier), set up as a session with a psychiatrist (junior Aidan Seale-Feldman), with an inflatable raft substituting for a shrink’s couch, had the audience erupting with laughter. The more tragic stories, such as Mera (sophomore Sarah Furgeson) and Cenerous (junior Blake Wilson) left a much more heart-wrenching sentiment.

Metamorphoses contained a mix of stories that reinforced themes of love, happiness, and betrayal.

"[Metamorphoses] is about what really matters in life," Seale-Feldman said. With mythic plots ranging from simple love tales to tragic retellings of betrayal and jealousy, the play embodied the enduring transformative emotions that make us human.

With such a small cast playing over a total of fifty roles, the ensemble sense was very strong.

“I prefer [ensemble productions] because you have a lot more cooperation and cast bonding,” Lo said. “The actors know that making their cast members look good makes them look good.”

The cast, which had members spanning all four grades, made seamless transitions from character to character throughout the production.

The beautiful scene changes were enhanced by sensitive use of lighting, music, and staging.

“[With the music] I tried to really capture what’s going on [in each scene],” Lo said. “There’s everything in there — opera, Yo-Yo Ma, George Winson.”

Evocative music was played in the dark while actors transitioned into their new roles; images such as a lit candelabra moving behind a gauzy curtain drew one scene to a close as a new one unfolded.

With images like a lifeless body floating in the water, or lovers slowly crossing the pool in anticipation, the water took on all of the manifestations of human life force.

“The pool added to the whole idea of metamorphoses and change,” Goshen said.

Vivid representations, reflected in the pool, underscored the emotional movements within the scenes from serene to roiling.

Lo hoped that the play would send the overall message to “put all reservations away and not always have your defenses up,” and said, “[The play] is about not always having to watch out… going with your instincts.” The “Q and A” scene, where two women reflect on the mythic stories, brought the overall themes in the play together.

Metamorphoses can be seen now through November 22. Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with a 4 p.m. performance on Wednesday, November 19. Tickets can be purchased at the door, $10 for adults and $5 for students. Bring a warm jacket and be prepared to get a little wet!