DIDO OF IDAHO

                                                  Unbearable joy!
~ Michael

What do you get when you intertwine an epic poem with present day characters who are in dire need of help? Playwright Abby Rosebrock solves that problem by setting the wanna-be-love-story, where it’s more than the main couple who have a lot at stake, in modern time where it’s lover vs. lover, mother vs. daughter, mother’s lover vs. mother’s daughter and mother’s lover vs. mother, anyway you look at it, it’s a complicated tragedy with some laughs in between.

In Virgil’s timeless poem “The Aeneid,” Dido and Aeneas have a good year-long affair going on. Dido suggests they become a power couple. She will let him stay in Carthage and they can rule together. Aeneas is feeling this idea, until the GODS remind him that his duty is to make a permanent home, in this case Rome. So, he leaves Dido, after a night of love making he escapes during the night. No Post-It note to explain what happened. No voicemail. Just BOOM! He runs away and the heart broken Dido commits suicide. In Rosebrock’s version, the not so together couple do not die. However, there are consequences all the characters must face.

In this well written re-telling, Dido is Nora (Alana Dietze does a phenomenal job) a 30-something musicologist, who’s in a heavy affair with English teacher Michael (Joby Earle) in this scenario Michael is the flighty Aeneas, who keeps promising he will leave his wife, but of course, he tells the fragile Nora he will soon divorce only so she will stop complaining. We already know how that promise will end. Nora will continue to drink her precious wine and convince herself that she can wake up from this surreal nightmare.

Nora is a grown ass alcoholic with some serious mommy and men issues. After Michael leaves his apartment to teach prisoners the beauty of poetry, Nora stays in and comforts herself with a fresh bottle of wine. Enter Crystal, (Nicole DuPort is highly amusing while maintaining a serious persona) Michael’s soon-to-be-ex-wife, who freaks out and righteously so, finds Nora in her bed. The two have a comical face off as Crystal uses a bottle of stain remover, SHOUT spray to defend herself. Suddenly, the confrontation turns into a therapy session, as Crystal asks Nora what is troubling her. Crystal is unaware that she is the problem. Nora finds out everything Michael said was a lie. Really? Hmm! Crystal confessed that even though her marriage is long over, they have not filed for either separation or divorce. Major surprise, right?

Besides being involved with Michael’s cheating heart, the two find out they have something else in common. For starters, both their mothers are gay. Nora’s mother Julie (Julie Dretzin is magnificent as the free-spirited mom). Julie and her girlfriend Ethel (Elissa Middleton is a marvel to watch) make a beautiful team. Ethel is a sounding board between Julie and Nora. She can get through the wreckage that is Nora. Nora visits her mother and Ethel, who live in the mountains, to have the dreaded talk about their relationship. There are twists and turns in this story where Rosebrock paces evenly. So, you don’t see the surprise coming. So, pay attention!

Director Abigail Deser does a wonderful job in delivering an amazing, wonderful production. There’s a lot of mental madness hopping, however, under Deser’s watchful eye, the quick jumps appear effortlessly. Rosebrock’s characters are full fleshed out, even in their wild psychosis. Who doesn’t have a family member, who goes off script, and we just accept it as normal, until an outsider questions their behavior? We all have that relative, some are well hidden while others just show up naked at the family dinner who must be recognized. Earle, is the only shot of testosterone, delivers an impressive performance in being the guy that everyone despises but finds irresistibly charming. That trick isn’t easy to pull off. However, Earle does an incredible job.                                                                                                           Even if you didn’t read the poem in high school or college, this version is more suited for today’s climate when the world stopped making since pre-pandemic. Just saying!

DETAILS

WHAT: DIDO IN IDAHO
WHERE: Echo Theater Company at Atwater Village Theatre
LOCATION: 3269 Casitas Ave., Los Angeles
WHEN: Now until Monday, August 26th, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.
and Sundays at 4 p.m.
HOW MUCH: $38; Monday, August 19 PAY WHAT YOU WILL
RUNNING TIME: 1 hour, 40 minutes. No intermission
RESERVATIONS: Log on to echotheatercompany.com

FUN FACT

Actress Elissa Middleton, who plays Ethel, shares the same name as Dido, who also is known as Elissa