By: Jessi Hafer

While Theatre Ventoux’s Childe Byron presents the stories of historical figures Lord Byron (poet and first-rate freak) and his estranged daughter Ada Lovelace (mathematician and one of the founders of computing), the play isn’t really about their notoriety. Instead, their infamy provides the backdrop for the relationship between a father and daughter whose paths had never crossed.

Lisa Mercier-Taber is amazing as Ada. She presents contempt and skepticism with cool anger that seethes through her darting glances at the vision of her father, and she balances this with an amused detachment from emotional frivolity that makes perfect sense for the mathematician. She breaks down her otherwise confident character with anxious timing rather than simply raising her voice, and you can't help but be overtaken with her well-timed urgency.

As noted on the program, this is the first time since 1990 that Mercier-Taber has played opposite her husband Gregory Taber. Greg Taber plays Lord Byron as one with pompous bemusement with his own scandals at one moment and clear pain at another. Taber does a masterful job of making you despise his loathsome character while also making you sympathize. Taber leads the audience through cycles of revulsion and compassion with amazing agility.

The Tabers bring their characters to life with subtle realism as well as with acknowledgement of the emotional rollercoaster inherent to humanity. The complete ensemble of actors gives a wonderful and expressive performance, with characters that recreate Lord Byron and Ada’s recollections and suppositions. The cast includes Stephen Torres as “the Boy,” Melissa Geston as “the Girl,” Samuel Frank as “the Young Man,” Renee Newlove as “the Young Woman,” Ricci Mazzuca as “the Man,” and Dorian Ranta as “the Woman.”

Director Lisa Mercier-Taber explained that one of the reasons she choose the play was because it’s so beautifully written. Now that I’ve seen it, I fully agree. The play is sharp, witty, risqué, and full of subtle humor. Excerpts from Lord Byron’s and Ada Lovelace’s works are powerfully woven into racy word play. The dialogue, costuming, and set effectively transport the audience to another time, but Theatre Ventoux’s production evokes the timeless frustrations of lost opportunities.

Don’t miss it! Childe Bryon is being performed at the Severance Building in the Tower District on the corner of Wishon and Floradora on Fridays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm through December 16, 2007. General admission is $15, and admission for students and seniors is $10. Tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets.com or at the door.