The Cat and the Coyote

In the fabric of magical realism that Jose Rivera has woven in References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, the central character is a woman named Gabriela who moves seamlessly between two worlds. One is the harsh reality of her lonely existence in a bleak desert setting and the other a more sensual dream world filled with an amorous Moon who plays a violin while perched atop an old refrigerator and two anthropomorphic creatures—her household Cat and a wild Coyote with a taste for hot animal sex. We see firsthand the state of her strained relationship with her husband Benito when he returns from a tour of duty in the Middle East, but it is only when Gabriela steps into her fantasy world that we truly grasp the magnitude of her real desires.

The Cat and the Coyote are key players in the dream sequences in the play since their sexual encounters reflect some of the fantasies and sensual desires that haunt Gabriela. The following exchange between the two exemplifies Rivera's poetic style as the Coyote describes the exhilarating power of unrestrained sex:

Coyote:
You scream so hard your ancestors hear you.
 It’s not even sex.
It’s beyond sex.
Beyond bodies, come on, Cat.

Animal on animal.
I’ll knock you around so hard
All nine of your lives will have orgasms.

Cat:
…All nine?

Coyote:

Then you’ll hear little coyote—cats--

Tough mutant sons of bitches
Who love the taste of blood
And the chase and the moonlit night.

Cat:

I can’t do that—I’m fixed.

As Gabriela watches the steamy exchange between the two creatures, we begin to understand the circumstances of her own life and the fact that her relationship with her husband is unfulfilling to her both physically and emotionally.

Keely Haddad-Null and her artistic team have made some creative decisions as to the ways in which the Cat and the Coyote are portrayed on stage in their production at the National Pastime Theater. First, unlike many other productions of Rivera’s play in which these dream world denizens have typically been clothed in costumes of fur or masks, in this play Alison Chemers as the Cat and Cameron Peart as the Coyote play their roles completely nude, covered only in body paint to suggest their animal qualities. It is a bold staging decision that demands considerable poise and courage from these two talented actors, but the result is a visually striking presence on stage that helps draw the audience even deeper into Gabriela’s fantasy world that provides her with a sensual refuge from the harsh reality of her lonely and isolated life in the desert. Second, while the role of the Coyote is typically played by a male actor in most productions of this play, the NPT production features a female actor playing the role. This casting creates a different and powerful tension on stage as we watch the two creatures make sexual advances toward each other, and it also provides another dynamic to the surreal fantasy world that is played out before our eyes.

The Coyote is badly wounded by a violent outburst from the amorous but angry Moon early in the story, and near the end of the play, we see the Coyote pacing slowly and quietly across the stage wearing a diaphanous white gown to suggest her ghostly presence in Gabriela’s dreams. It is a portent of events to come as the final events of the story are played out on stage.

Alison Chemers and Cameron Peart give outstanding performances in their challenging roles, and artist Gary Schirmer is to be congratulated for his work each night to create the surreal animal illusions with his body paint.