The Mona Lisa Comes to Life
Cody Clark, staff writer
On Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m. The Core Ensemble performed Equally Divine: The Real Story of the Mona Lisa at PVCC Black Box Theatre. The Core Ensemble is a musical group whose performances highlight social justice issues and America’s diverse cultures. In Equally Divine: The Real Story of the Mona Lisa, there were three musicians; one cellist, one pianist, and one percussionist. The music complimented the performance of the lone actor on the stage, Kevin Paley.
The musicians and Kevin Paley, who played Mona Lisa, take their positions on stage. Paley was dressed in a silky black coat and wore a wig. Paley announced the Mona Lisa has been stolen from the Louvre and the culprit is nowhere to be found.
The French police are baffled, and the public mourns the loss of a painting that no one cared about until after it was stolen. “It’s human nature to not appreciate what we have until it’s gone,” said Paley.
The play began with the three musicians playing “Trio in Memoriam” to set the tone. The Mona Lisa described her current predicament. While talking directly to the audience, she described how she was trapped in a trunk that was tucked away in a closet. To pass the time, she recalled her time at the Louvre, where she went largely unappreciated by those that visited the museum.
In the second scene, the Mona Lisa goes over her origins. The Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci for Francesco del Giocondo. The model would be Francesco’s wife, Lisa.
Mona Lisa recounted an interaction between Lisa, Da Vinci, and Salaì, Da Vinci’s apprentice.
Paley constantly shifted tones in his voice and changed his posture to allow for the audience to easily follow which character was talking. It was revealed that while Lisa del Giocondo was the subject of the Mona Lisa painting, it was Salaì’s smile that was used as the basis for the Mona Lisa’s smile.
After holding the Mona Lisa captive for two years, Vincenzo Peruggia, the man responsible for crime, was caught in Italy. The Mona Lisa recounted her delight at seeing the light of day again. She soon returned to the Louvre and was enjoying the public’s new found appreciation for her.
To end the night, Paley said that in an ideal society, “we are all equally divine and no one makes a fuss about it.”
