BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE

This is a very different production for LA, to say the least. Bluebeard’s Castle is billed as a musical, and it does have a few songs, but they’re just kind-of thrown in there and not like normal “numbers.” The opening night audience didn’t know if we were supposed to clap after each song. It was weird. But at least we could make out most of the lyrics, which does not always happen, so that’s a positive.

(L-R) Casey Burke, Nathan Mohebbi, and Shannon Lee Clair. Photo by Cooper Bates, as is the one at the top of this review.

Also on the plus side is that the three actors give it their all. And the atmosphere really sets the mood, in an admirable way. The sparse set, dark lighting, horror movie music, and more-than-occasional smoke, (which, thank goodness, does not have the attendant scent,) all work in concert to convey the medieval creepiness of the story.

However, the constant eerie background music throughout gets to be a tad much after a while. And the presentation doesn’t seem designed to entertain an audience; it feels more like a self-indulgent work.

Bluebeard’s Castle is a rendition of the very dark folktale of Bluebeard, who is a murderer of several wives. (I guess even back then it was cheaper than divorce.) For you more modern tale aficionados, the story is like an old-timey version of Dateline.

Speaking of old times, I have no idea why the program states that the time is “Sometime in the past or the future.” This is Bluebeard, for goodness sake! (Or his son; I couldn’t figure-out who the guy is really supposed to be.) There’s no way this is happening in the future! Murders do happen all the time, of course, and will continue to in the future, but not in that attire, nor in that setting. So it’s odd to put that line in the program.

I had written a note that the production “felt European” to me, and then I found-out later that it was written by a Russian woman and performed all over Europe before landing here in West LA. I love it when I’m right!

The hour and a half intermission-less presentation is a mix of interesting and strange. I had no idea what was happening most of the time. I couldn’t really get a handle on the narrative. I mean this next sentiment seriously and not in a bad way—perhaps the script is more clear in the playwright’s native language.

(L-R) Casey Burke, Shannon Lee Clair, and Nathan Mohebbi. Photo by Cooper Bates.

But this bit sort-of amused me: At one point when showing his new wife around his castle, Bluebeard tells her, “This is the hunting room,” to which she inquired, “Why so many dead animals?” That’s exactly what my mother and I used to ask at just about every place we walked into every summer in Aspen!

I must tell you that it was sooo freezing in the theatre on opening night that I have a feeling my physical misery may have colored my thoughts on the actual production a bit. So, if you go see it, I say to bring your heaviest coat, a scarf, a hat, and gloves!

Bluebeard’s Castle running through November 23, 2025
Odyssey Theatre
2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. WLA
310-477-2055 www.odysseytheatre.com