Talent, Ambition Boost Multidisciplinary ‘Avalon’

With its high-energy dancers, actors, aerialists, martial artists and rock musicians crammed onto the tiny stage of the Ivar Theatre in Hollywood, “Avalon” looked like a stadium spectacle or Las Vegas showroom production in miniature at its premiere Friday.

Laser effects and some sort of revolving or telescoping set may have been missing, but otherwise, Josie Walsh’s multidisciplinary fantasy had big ambitions and plenty of talent to realize them.

Exploring the conflict between a society rooted in Christian concepts of sin versus one worshiping nature in all its violence and sensuality, “Avalon” didn’t so much tell its Arthurian story as ricochet between extremes.

As a result, it scarcely mattered that Walsh’s choreography, Jaime Nelson’s direction and the acrobatic thrills devised by Ingrid Hoffman often clashed in style and tone.

Their world of colliding opposites also had room for somber musical theater recitative by Bobby Tahouri along with apocalyptic rock by Surve and an uncredited pop arrangement of a Prokofiev “Romeo and Juliet” ball dance.

Priest Branden Williams kept screaming “Repent!,” but the indecently attractive young company preferred the fancy-dress hedonism in a breathless array of bird, spider, siren and orgy divertissements featuring Walsh’s Myo Dance Company and others.

The key event by the Belisama aerialists turned out to be Hoffman hanging from Carlos Ragas’ foot high above the stage, and the major comic relief the scenes involving Aaron Hendry’s change from a menacing King Stag to a still hunky but guileless faun.

Walsh dominated many of the ballet passages, but everywhere else Demian Boergadine served the production splendidly as a charismatic King Arthur, a fierce martial arts fighter and a secure, committed dancer.

Anya Matanovic earned pride of place among the vocalists and, on a regular basis, “Avalon” belonged to somebody from the ensemble suddenly in the spotlight--including Adam Taylor, Amy Smart, Rustin Matthew and Joshua Amberg.

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“Avalon” resumes Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Ivar Theatre, 1605 Ivar Ave., Hollywood. $25 to $35. (818) 985-8303.