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Beate Hein Bennett
One might say that Mickey Mouse is the real mascot of the United States. Walt Disney (1901-1966) created his cartoon character and gave it his original voice in 1928. The figure captures the fantastical myth of the “little guy” who becomes a big success—the US American archetype. Disney family legend has it that Walt Disney first wanted to name him ‘Mortimer Mouse’ to give him some gravitas but that his wife Lillian told him to name him “Mickey Mouse,” and so he entered the world as this funny little mouse with a huge head, big black ears, a round tummy, and a squeaky voice that spoke to millions of ‘kids,’ small and grown-up alike. Playwright Cameron Darwin Bossert, a multi-talented artist and founder of Thirdwing, depicts in his play, Part 3 of a trilogy entitled “A Venomous Color,” select scenes from the 1941 tour that took Walt Disney and his wife Lillian to Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. With them are three of his studio artists: Norm “Fergie” Ferguson, Frank Thomas, and Mary Blair. (The actual tour group, nicknamed El Grupo, was larger.) The tour is ostensibly sponsored and financed by the US State Department as a goodwill tour to bring Latin America on the side of the US against the looming influence of Fascism and Nazism. (It is before Pearl Harbor, and the US is not yet involved in actual combat.) Walt Disney’s world-wide reputation as a leading film maker was established by the late 1930s with his imaginative moving cartoon characters. In 1938, his studio had created “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Pinoccchio” followed in 1940 by “Fantasia” in which his cartoon characters illustrate music with elaborate choreography. By 1941 Walt Disney hit some snags: a prolonged strike by the cartoon artists and a potential bankruptcy. He was depressed and needed new inspiration; the tour to South America where he was to observe local nature and culture in diverse manifestations would be the key to revitalize him and his creative impulses. The play zigzags through Walt Disney’s inner turmoil, the complicated relationship with his wife and his family, the professional and personal friendships, between himself and among the artists. The fast paced dialogue is full of ironic repartees and quibbling revealing the contradictions inherent in the ego of artists , their ambitions, but also their fundamental existential insecurity. While no specific director is mentioned, one may assume that Mr. Bossert, who plays Walt Disney with all the requisite emotional colors that his character demands, also guided his ensemble through the thickets of their diverse personalities and encounters. In any case, all actors are well tuned to each other in terms of rhythm and pace. Cian Genaro playing “Fergie” and Adam Griffith as “Frank” make a very good comic team. Ginger Kearns plays Lillian “Lillibelle” mostly as an acerbic yet fiercely protective wife with some underlying issues—the actual Lillian was herself an ink artist in the early Disney studio days. There may be some jealousy camouflaged as female solidarity towards Mary Blair who is a truly inspired but as of yet undervalued painter. The two women go off on a drinking spree together to the consternation of Walt. In their drunken camaraderie much is revealed about their respective backgrounds. Krysten Wagner plays Mary Blair with elegant reserve and quiet charm but shows her capacity for a sharp repartee when needed. In the last scene taking place in Chile, a new character is introduced. Jorge Delano, a Chilean film maker and admirer of Walt Disney, is played by Felipe Arellano, an actual Chilean theater maker who tells a mysterious folk story so compellingly that it may find its way into a later Disney film. The production is designed very sparingly and fits perfectly into
the generous stage space of The Wild Project. The lighting design
by Kia Rogers with subtle color tones and smooth transitions works
with the mood changes in the scenes. Yolanda Balana’s costume
design intimates the style of the 40s in the women’s dresses
and the wide-legged pants of the men. Deeba Montazeri composed and
selected music appropriate to the particular locale and period.
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