Review: Fear not! I did not forget about Siren Songs!
Siren Songs is based on a true story of two men named Thomas, who were lighthouse keepers responsible for keeping their beacon lit in near darkness and almost complete isolation. Thomas Howell, played by Aine Murtagh ’27, mourns the absence of his family and his wife Martha, played by Yuri Garcia ’27, who appears to him in trance-like hallucinations on stage while Howell occupies his time by reading works like the Odyssey. The play, written by Lindsay Patain, places both Howell and Odysseus on a metaphorical trek home, with one on a perilous voyage and another awaiting reunion with their community.
Meanwhile Griffith, played by Fish Vaughan ’28, often scoffs at Howell’s proclivity for the written word as Griffith’s physical health deteriorates onstage. To deliver a cough so foul and demonstrate fatigue so believably requires a rare kind of talent that was a personal highlight of the production for me. After Griffith's death onstage, when help is uncertain and waiting seems hopeless, Howell undergoes a descent into absolute madness, again providing another favorite moment of the night.
Of course, the production could not be discussed without complementing the thought and care that went into the set design. The Black Box Theatre became a full-fledged lighthouse thanks to Lily Olcott’s ’26 wonderful vision. The audience was surrounded by the deck of the lighthouse, a masterfully crafted two-story stage. A gargantuan biconvex lens was the centerpiece of the play. Even when the lights dimmed, the light from the bulb never faded completely, consistently haunting the narrative.
On that note, Garcia’s Martha Howell did exactly that. Slowly, as her husband and his co-keeper descend into death and madness accordingly, she appears to them, bringing an ethereal depth and themes from Greek mythology. Towards the end of the play, Garcia sang a melody so heavenly, I thought I had been plucked off this earth. Her voice and presence acted as a sort of Charon, transporting both the audience and Griffith to the next life. Speaking of ferrymen, I did not forget the delightful skill of Michael Farrell’s ’28 Henry Whiteside. Whiteside is the character who first brought the keepers to the island, and was a friendly face to address the tragedy of Griffith’s passing. Farrell’s performance kept the audience oriented towards reality even when all else was surreal.
The final applause goes towards the scenes of isolation and loneliness that our generation has grown ever so used to. Independent of the giant cleavage of a pandemic that interrupted our grade-school experience, we are constantly chasing community. Whether we had it before our time at Reed, found it, or want more, we are social creatures who will descend into madness if our social needs are not met. Siren Songs uniquely connects our human condition to words that were first echoed so long ago. We cannot help it. Whenever we read a book from the HUM 110 syllabus, participate in a Reed tradition, or even complain about the loss of Olde Reed, we are subscribing to an identity larger than ourselves because we, first and foremost, do not want to be alone.