The Free Play Theatre Cooperative's latest endeavor, Cloud 9, is a compelling and humorous examination of the evolution of sexual politics. Written by Carol Churchill, the play takes place in multiple locations, with Act I set in Victorian-era Africa at the height of the British Empire and Act II taking place in the playwright's then-contemporary London of 1979. The play begins with Clive (Ben Witte '11), a colonial administrator, struggling to maintain order over his estate. As an exemplar of the British empire, Clive imposes his strict values system on his wife Betty (Michael Castellanos '10), played by a man in the first act, his homosexual son Edward (Lauren Kraus '10), played by a woman in the first act, and his black servant Joshua (Tony Rios '11), played by a nonblack actor. These gender and racial reversals challenge the audience's perception of gender roles and also to indicate the characters' devaluing of themselves. Betty, sympathetically portrayed by Castellanos, is a woman defined by what men want her to be; similarly, Edward is restricted by his father Clive's rigid definition of masculinity. Betty's mother Maud (Gavi Young '09) also lives with the family, along with the governess Ellen and the visiting neighbor Mrs. Saunders (both played by Laura Lorand '09). Clive's friend Harry (David Brown '09), an explorer, also pays the family a visit.

As the dominant figure of Act I and the symbol of colonial and sexual oppression, Clive must command the audience members and convince them of his power. Witte ably navigated his role as a pompous husband who displays astonishing levels of hypocrisy in his personal life. He was also extremely funny. However, Clive's arrogance easily segued into the realistic cruelty he demonstrates toward everyone-his wife, his children, his subjects. Young was also a standout in her role as Maud, a woman who has internalized the sexually prejudiced views of her era. She imbued her lines with a subtle wit that perfectly showcased the very clever script and did so without resorting to histrionics. Unfortunately, Lorand's performance was hindered by some overacting in both of her roles, especially in that of the governess. Lorand is a gifted physical comedian, and her roles added some humor to the production, but as Ellen, the victim of love hindered by restrictive social values, she should have been less of a joke and more of a tragic character. Joshua, as played by Rios, was stiff and unconvincing. However, I must emphasize that, despite the slight character mishaps, Act I was generally hilarious, entertaining and well-done. The audience laughed appreciatively throughout the performance without losing sight of the considerable criticisms Churchill was launching against the hypocritical values of the British Empire.

Act II takes place in London of 1979, although for the aforementioned characters only 25 years have passed. Victoria (Kraus), Clive's daughter (who was played by a dummy in Act I), confronts problems in her relationship with her boyfriend Martin (Rios) and has also taken up a lover named Lin (Lorand), who has a small child of her own, Cathy (Witte). Her brother Edward (Castellanos) also has problems with his lover Gerry (Brown). Betty, now a middle-aged woman, is played by Young. Act II serves as an interesting parallel to the society portrayed in Act I; here, the women have stronger voices, and some characters are openly gay. As a general rule, the acting was also stronger, as some of the characters seemed more comfortable in modern roles compared to historical ones. Instead of the farcical tone of the first act, this one concerned itself with exploring the emotional lives of its characters. The doubling of actors also served to bring up interesting connections in relationships between characters. It was generally well-done technique, and especially poignant in Betty's case; as the only adult character to remain in both acts, she is a complex figure whose evolution throughout the course of the play was satisfying to witness. Almost as a side note, I must mention that Cathy was generally a distraction in the second act, for although Witte embodied the character as much as he did in Act I, in this case the character was a four-year-old child prone to tantrums, and I would have enjoyed less realism and somewhat less yelling.

Overall, the actors were generally quite good at conveying the humor and pathos of the play. The technical crew made excellent use of the physical space in Schwartz Auditorium and transitioned between scenes well. Few plays manage to combine absurd comedy, cross-gender casting and shifting gender roles, colonial uprisings and modern sexual conundrums in such a coherent, intriguing manner. I would recommend this extremely funny, subversive production as an excellent use of several hours of your time.