In the mystery tale “The Garden of Forking Paths,” a learned Chinese nobleman announces he is retiring from public life to go off and “construct a labyrinth.” Years pass, with reports that he is hard at work, but after his death not a trace of the fabled structure can be found anywhere. All he has left behind is the manuscript of a long and strangely convoluted story, which defies understanding until someone realizes: The story is the labyrinth.
That tale was written by a master mystifier, the late Jorge Luis Borges. Too bad he can’t come to Pittsburgh for the world-premiere run (through October 28) of Quantum Theatre’s play Chatterton. Working from a different sort of subject matter, Quantum has constructed a labyrinth with a few layers of intrigue added.
Chatterton consists of at least five stories woven together—there might be more, depending on how you count. The stories keep you surprised and guessing as you walk through them—and you literally walk, because the play unfolds inside a physical labyrinth, corkscrewing through scenes that are performed in various chambers, nooks, and crannies of the historic Trinity Cathedral Pittsburgh.
By Mike Vargo, Entertainment Central Pittsburgh
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