Lionboy

The U.K. theater company Complicite first brought the story of Lionboy to the stage in 2013. Adapted by Marcelo Dos Santos from the trilogy of young-adult novels by Zizou Corder (the penname of mother-daughter writing team Louisa Young and Isabel Adomakoh Young), Lionboy is now getting an innovative, full-length-play treatment at the New Victory Theater that entertains as much with its unique story and strong message of independent thinking as it does with the creative troupe who performs it.

With eight actors and an onstage percussionist, Complicite tells the tale of Charlie Ashanti (Martins Imhangbe), a British teen who can understand and speak to felines. Charlie inhabits a dystopian world ruled by a megacorporation called the Corporacy, which genetically engineers cats that cause asthma in humans so that the Corporacy can sell medication to the public. When Charlie's scientist parents are kidnapped by this evil organization, he sets off on a journey to rescue them, traveling through Europe to Africa. Along the way, he enlists the help of a mangy, asthma-inducing cat named Sergei (Eric Mallett), a circus troupe with half a dozen lions, and a sassy chameleon named Ninu (Lisa Kerr), among others. When Charlie finally reaches Corporacy headquarters, he must confront the wicked Chief Executive (Clive Mendus) and his young henchman, Rafi (Angel Lopez-Silva), in a battle for his parents' and his own freedom.

Though Lionboy is Complicite's first production geared toward kids, the company looks as if they’ve been doing it for years. With minimal props, the nine strong performers create Charlie's world using everyday objects. Mendus and his codirector, James Yeatman, together with an innovative design and lighting team, create scenes using things like ropes (stretched across the stage, they become ocean waves) and metal ladders (bathed in icy lighting, they are the cold, menacing halls of the Corporacy). The actors themselves become the boat that sails Charlie and his lion friends across the sea. Colorful costumes (wardrobe design by Helen Spink) remain off to the side in plain view to allow the actors to make quick character changes, helping maintain the brisk pace of the two-hour show.

Dan Milne adroitly takes on at least three roles, most notably Boris the King of Bulgaria, a delightfully witty accomplice on Charlie's odyssey, while Femi Elufowoju Jr. plays the frightful lion tamer as well as Charlie's kind father. Victoria Gould delivers humorous and poignant performances both as Madame Barbue, the circus' bearded lady, and as Charlie's mother, who gives her son the oft-repeated advice, in Latin, that functions as the play's main theme: nullius in verba, "take no one's word for it."

That ever-timely message combined with Complicite's brilliant stagecraft makes Lionboy an excellent theater choice for adults and young people ages 8 and older. The actors get everyone revved up with exciting moments of audience participation, especially during the "philosophical" boxing match between Charlie and Rafi at the end. In a very satisfying way, Lionboy introduces kids to theater that entertains while provoking discussion of important ideas.