The ‘Devil’ is delightful

Classic children’s book brought to life

Cathie Lawrence

Roxanna Aranda takes center stage at the Nick Rodriguez Community Center during a performance of “The Cat and The Devil” March 1.

With a full crowd seated inside the tiny theater, members of the local community gathered Sunday, March 1 to see the newest production by The Drama Factory.

Now playing at the Nick Rodriguez Community Center in downtown Antioch, the rendition of James Joyce’s “The Cat and The Devil” is a charming production that promises to appeal to children
and adults alike.

Featuring an all ages cast comprised of the local community, the story takes place in the medieval French town of Beaugency following the aftermath of the Black Plague.

With elaborate costumes and detailed scenery depicting the time when the tale takes place, the production team appeared to have put extra effort into adding a sense of realism to the play. This included mechanically operated waves and audio soundtracks providing musical themes from the era.

Except for an occasional “choke” on one’s lines, a common occurrence with younger actors, everyone in the cast did great making their characters come
into reality.

One of the crowd favorites was definitely Olivier Levasseur’s portrayal of The Lord Mayor, a vain and whimsical man who would rather spend most of his days gazing into a mirror rather than handling the current affairs of his town, such
as feral cats, local beggars and a sunken ferry.

The other character who deserves a mention would be Chetif, played by Roxanna Aranda, is a character whose wild and crazed antics, while amusing to himself, annoys his fellow
townspeople.

Overall, watching the short two-act play was a great way to spend a little time on a Sunday afternoon watching a performance by the local actors.

“The Cat and The Devil” will have three more showings at the Nick Rodriguez Community Center with a 7:30 p.m. showing on March 6, a matinee showing March 7 at 1:30 p.m., and a final
performance that evening at 7:30 p.m.

Admission is $10 for the general public and $8 for senior citizens. The Nick Rodriguez Community Center is located at 213 F St. in Antioch.