She Told Me So
Fri, 27 May 2005, 11:21 amcrgwllms8 posts in thread
She Told Me So
Fri, 27 May 2005, 11:21 amI found this a VERY interesting and poignant piece, WELL WORTH catching before it ends this Saturday.
Simple staging and design, but a very strong sense of atmosphere and 'musicality' to the piece...the rhythms and tones of the words, the characters, the physical images, the choreography, and of course the actual music, were all woven together in an intriguing and enchanting symphony.
Travis Vladich has a quirky but endearing physicality as a 30-something facing a metaphorical mid-life crisis. In a series of images and flashbacks that centre on surreal visits to a psychoanalyst, the play focusses more on a state of mind than on a narrative storyline...although the plot pieces are there for the audience to discover and try to interpret. It's fun trying to work out what's going on. A parallel character is played by Ingrid Hartwig as the girl he is in a relationship with, and who visits the same analyst. Ingrid has several monologues which explore a wide range of insecurities and emotional swings, and they were delivered with terrific sensitivity and comic awareness.
Alison Van Reeken plays the 'psycho' analyst with an intriguing old-world charm, and we're never sure if she is merely an observer or a more manipulative player....there's a dark sinister element as well as the professional concern, which is unsettling. Whose point of view is this anyway?
Mike Djukic plays several background characters that all come to life in an engaging manner. Great characterizations and a cocky charm, saying a lot with his limited dialogue.
And Steve Hearne as the ever-present bartender/jazz musician epitomizes sleazy charm (there, I've said 'charm' three times, that's how charmed I was by the characters). He mainly sits in the corner looking tres cool, playing an excellent live accompaniment to the scenes, or is a silent foil to other characters' outpourings, but he does it with great style. A perfect blind slam-dunk of the wig into the bag sums it up..!
Rene Newman-Storen's script is a challenging, complex endeavor which neveretheless comes across simply and beautifully. Many layers operate at once, and while a lot is left to audience interpretation, it never seems confusing or self indulgent. Husband Mark Storen has directed in an engaging style, utilizing a multitude of approaches including puppetry, mime, atmospheric music, dance sequences, absurdism, and gadgetry...and yet makes it all feel cohesive. There is a jazzy 'musicality' to the piece which I found very appealing.
Cred too to Claire Hooper's choreography, Aaron Beach's lighting, and Bryan Woltjen's puppet design.
I realize most of the collaborators on this show happen to be mates of mine, but if I didn't consider this to be a worthy production I simply wouldn't recommend it. But it is, and I do.
Cheers
Craig
Simple staging and design, but a very strong sense of atmosphere and 'musicality' to the piece...the rhythms and tones of the words, the characters, the physical images, the choreography, and of course the actual music, were all woven together in an intriguing and enchanting symphony.
Travis Vladich has a quirky but endearing physicality as a 30-something facing a metaphorical mid-life crisis. In a series of images and flashbacks that centre on surreal visits to a psychoanalyst, the play focusses more on a state of mind than on a narrative storyline...although the plot pieces are there for the audience to discover and try to interpret. It's fun trying to work out what's going on. A parallel character is played by Ingrid Hartwig as the girl he is in a relationship with, and who visits the same analyst. Ingrid has several monologues which explore a wide range of insecurities and emotional swings, and they were delivered with terrific sensitivity and comic awareness.
Alison Van Reeken plays the 'psycho' analyst with an intriguing old-world charm, and we're never sure if she is merely an observer or a more manipulative player....there's a dark sinister element as well as the professional concern, which is unsettling. Whose point of view is this anyway?
Mike Djukic plays several background characters that all come to life in an engaging manner. Great characterizations and a cocky charm, saying a lot with his limited dialogue.
And Steve Hearne as the ever-present bartender/jazz musician epitomizes sleazy charm (there, I've said 'charm' three times, that's how charmed I was by the characters). He mainly sits in the corner looking tres cool, playing an excellent live accompaniment to the scenes, or is a silent foil to other characters' outpourings, but he does it with great style. A perfect blind slam-dunk of the wig into the bag sums it up..!
Rene Newman-Storen's script is a challenging, complex endeavor which neveretheless comes across simply and beautifully. Many layers operate at once, and while a lot is left to audience interpretation, it never seems confusing or self indulgent. Husband Mark Storen has directed in an engaging style, utilizing a multitude of approaches including puppetry, mime, atmospheric music, dance sequences, absurdism, and gadgetry...and yet makes it all feel cohesive. There is a jazzy 'musicality' to the piece which I found very appealing.
Cred too to Claire Hooper's choreography, Aaron Beach's lighting, and Bryan Woltjen's puppet design.
I realize most of the collaborators on this show happen to be mates of mine, but if I didn't consider this to be a worthy production I simply wouldn't recommend it. But it is, and I do.
Cheers
Craig
Re: She Told Me So
Wed, 15 June 2005, 10:51 pmWalter Plinge
It's not Sam... though this boy in particular does like hawiian shirts as much as Sam does!
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