By Kristen Oliveri

Northeastern University’s Silver Masque Theatre Group opened “Dr. Caligari Comes to Town” to a large and receptive audience last Wednesday. This newly adapted play that hailed from a German expressionist silent film, was modified for the stage by Dmitry Troyanovsky and Gabe Geltzer.

The production was directed by Troyanovsky and portrayed with a small but powerful cast. The play is a mixture of many different cultural elements, taken from a German silent film known as “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.” The dialogue from the play came mostly from the short stories of Franz Kafka.

The play was set on a contemporary, bare stage. The black backdrop was masked with a single white box as large as the stage with warped dimensions and black windows, tilted on its side. As the play progressed, the technical focus was on the lighting and shadows of the characters that graced the stage.

“I thought it was one of the best sets I’ve ever seen,” said Travis Clough, a Boston University student.

As dark music resembling that of a horror film played overhead, two silent moviegoers, played by Sean Hopkins and Michael Satow, appeared on stage. They served the purpose of narrators while setting the scene of a silent film. The two moviegoers adorned in classic sweater vests and matching bow ties, established the beginning relationships between the main characters.

In “Dr. Caligari Comes to Town,” the audience is introduced to two best friends, Francis and Alan, who happen to be vying for the same woman’s affections, Isabel. Francis, play-ed by Stephen Hakansson, was a reserved and quiet character. He wished to win Isabel over with his charm and sincerity.

Alan, played by Mike Premo, was the risk taker. He made his love for Isabel, Theodora Gre-ece, known through the use of his poetry. The three, entangled in a torrid love triangle, venture off to see the circus act of Dr. Caligari in which danger ensues.

The mood of the production changed as the silent film characters intermingled with circus freaks and madmen. The audience is introduced to a bearded prostitute, played by Cassandra Meyer, and other downtrodden townsfolk.

At this point in the production, the silent movement of a circus act is interrupted with the powerful spoken word of Alan. The dark, ominous tone of the play becomes more apparent as the focus is now on the character’s relationships with each other and their own words.

A mysterious murder hunt unfolds after the introduction of Dr. Caligari and his faithful assistants. The audience begins to see the play through the scientist’s own warped mind. Dr. Caligari, played by Brian C. Fahey, has taken the role of creator in the life of his creation, Cesare (Stephen Buslovich).

The intense relationship between Cesare and Dr. Caligari is ever present on stage. Caligari controls Cesare mentally, emotionally and physically. The dynamic performance delivered by Fahey truly frightens the audience. His rich characterization is solidified with his on stage relationship with his servant, Greta, played by Gillian Mackay-Smith.

The two eerily portray twisted individuals caught up in their own realities. Through their dramatic makeup, the characters of Dr. Caligari and Greta came to life not only through their actions on stage but also their physical appearances.

“We invite you to a theatrical game. Play it with us. Like any game, you have to play it with the utmost belief in its seriousness and, at the same time, with a complete sense of frolicking mischief,” Troyanovsky commented upon his theatrical creation.

The play seriously lacks logic, even when it comes to the string of murders made by Cesare. Dr. Caligari’s motivations remain unclear, yet somehow that doesn’t seem to affect the dramatic thoughts of his own world in which the play has been crafted inside.

“This play was an elaborate mix of a simple, yet expressive set with the right blend of cast. There was a slight current of homosexual undertones in the play,” said Christine Faucher, a freshman psychology major. “It was so subtly placed in the plot, that it wasn’t that apparent to most of the viewers until later on in the play.”

The absurd beauty of this play was elevated by lighting, sound and the usage of makeup. This horror-like murder tale draws in the audience, into a world of mystery and danger, and does not let them escape until the final curtain call.