It’s that time of year again, where the holiday spirit of joy and cheer is in the air.  Where it’s inevitable to avoid Christmas carols or decorations for miles on end. This time of year also means there’s an insane amount of Christmas stories being told. Sonoma State University’s “The Bluebird” is one of those stories.
The Department of Theater Arts and Dance put together a story revolving around a boy named Tyler on the verge of moving on Christmas Eve. Everything has gone downhill in Tyler’s life. His father has passed away, his mother has been working long hours and overall, Tyler feels lonely. On this very night, Tyler’s mom has to work overnight to make end’s meet and his mother leaves him with a nanny to watch over him. One thing leads to another and it turns out the nanny is actually a fairy on the search for a Bluebird in Tyler’s home. Unbeknownst to this, Tyler assures her there is no such thing is in his house. The fairy then sends Tyler, along with his best friend/dog Tylo, on a journey to find the Bluebird in a far away land.
The show starred Carlos G. Rodriguez as Tyler. Rodriguez put on a great performance thanks to his range, being able to switch between a broad range of emotions in an instant. On top of that, Rodriguez had one believable British accent that added a certain charm to him. However, Allan Chornak as Tylo and the Duke of Luxury was truly the highlight of all the performances. Chornak’s interpretation of Tylo was energetic and fun, furthermore, brought most of the big laughs, if not all the laughs, of the play. Chornak was truly committed to playing his character and really channeled his inner dog. By contrast, his role as the Duke of Luxury was arrogant and pompous, but equally as funny. His presence on stage was stoic and showcased that he could juggle two roles eloquently.
“The Bluebird” had some truly inspiring set design that are sure to pass everyone’s expectations.
Despite the talent of its stars and great set design, the play did suffer from some flaws. There were some obvious set glitches scattered throughout the show that really took viewers out of the experience. Thankfully, the actors never let it break their performances. In addition to technical hiccups, it was bothersome that the backstage crew would visibly come on stage to remove props during the middle of a scene. Often times, people in the audience found themselves looking more at the backstage crew than the actors. The story was also a little hard to follow and there was often too much going on at once to properly let the scene sink in. In addition, the performance felt rushed at times and didn’t allow the characters to properly develop.
Despite the great performances from Rodriguez and Chornak, some of the acting from the rest of the cast left something to be desired. Some of the interpretations were too over the top and felt cheesy at times.