The sa国际传媒 is reviewing the Victoria Fringe Festival, which continues to Sept. 3. All rating are out of five.
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LEER
Where: Metro Studio
When: Today, Aug. 27, 28, Sept. 2, 3
Rating: three stars
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With his new play LEER, Victoria playwright David Elendune aims for a sexy, subversive reinvention of Shakespeare鈥檚 King Lear.
There鈥檚 some cleverness at work here. Music and other sound effects are used deftly; some of the costumes are terrific. Yet despite strong moments 鈥� mostly provided by actor Wendy Magahay 鈥� this 70-minute show is a bit of a muddle.
LEER pivots on two bold twists. It鈥檚 an all-woman cast of female characters, so the Lear-like character, played by Magahay, becomes a despotic ruler wearing a long red wig and a wee crown.
Not only that, this pastiche is set in hell. Lear is now Satan. And Satan鈥檚 three daughters (Regan, Goneril and Cordelia in the original play) are transformed into devilish types. There鈥檚 the Cordelia-like Lileth (Ellen Law), Beelzebub (Amber Landry) and Asmodeus (Wendy Cornock).
LEER retains King Lear鈥檚 central plot premise. Satan divides her kingdom based on each daughter鈥檚 remarks regarding their devotion to her. Lileth/Cordelia鈥檚 response is curiously reserved. This annoys Satan who decides to bestow her favour on her remaining daughters, etc. As well, also in keeping with King Lear, Satan is slowly losing her marbles, a deterioration portrayed convincingly by Magahay.
Yet overall, the narrative becomes difficult to follow. Elendune鈥檚 decision to toss handfuls of elements from Shakespeare鈥檚 other plays is confusing. Yes, one can make an argument for flinging in the three witches from Macbeth, given that fate is听a听central theme LEER. Other slice 鈥檔鈥� nice ingredients seem more arbitrary. Inserting snippets of Hamlet (鈥淲hat a piece of work is man!鈥� 鈥淔railty, thy name is woman鈥�) seem more like hip-hop sampling than thoughtful pastiche.
There鈥檚 plenty of irrevent pop culture references. Some are heavy-handed, such as playing AC/DC鈥檚 Highway to Hell (get it?). For those who like zombie/monster flicks, we get Satan gobbling a bowl of politicans鈥� brains (鈥渟easoned liberally with false pride鈥�) and chowing down on a basket of kittens. The fabulous costumes 鈥� imaginatively designed steam-punk creations 鈥� may be the best part of the show.
Ultimately LEER comes off as an ambitious mish-mash that sometimes clicks and sometimes befuddles.
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The Gift
Where: Metro Studio
When: Today, Aug. 27, 29
Rating: two stars
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A performance such as John Aitken鈥檚 The Gift is difficult to review. His dance-theatre piece (created with fellow Mayne Island resident Gail Noonan) reflects the terrible suffering he underwent as a child. His alcoholic father used to regularly beat his mother, a First Nations woman. Aitken, also physically and mentally abused, was so profoundly traumatized he didn鈥檛 speak until he was 18.
The Gift, performed with Shelley MacDonald, is Aitken鈥檚 artistic response to his shocking past. For 70 minutes the pair offer a mysterious movement performance, mostly non-verbal, with virtually no music (there are moments of drumming and singing). It鈥檚 like witnessing a ritualistic ceremony. The bare-foot Aitken, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, alternates between fleeting moments of joy and, more often, sequences in which he appears anguished, sometimes curled up on the stage in a fetal-like position.
A few scenes are literal. At one point the pair play ball; there鈥檚 a cleansing sequence; elsewhere a handful of change is scattered on stage. Yet more typically The Gift is abstract, replete with portentous heavy breathing and slow movement.
Viewed strictly as an artwork, The Gift succeeds only partly. In technical terms, the level of dance is rudimentary. The show is too oblique, too slow-moving 鈥� and too long. Tellingly it only made sense (or at least more sense) afterwards, when Aitken 鈥� a gracious and genial fellow 鈥� explained his background in a question-and-answer session.
That said, some attending Friday鈥檚 show were obviously moved by The Gift. One woman left in tears half-way though.
You might have the same reaction. Here鈥檚 my (admittedy strong) bias: I believe dance and theatre should succeed primarily as a work of art, regardless of the therapeutic value they may provide. Others will adamantly disagree and may find The Gift a powerful experience. (For those interested in the debate about art as therapy 鈥� try reading Arlene Croce鈥檚 seminal 1994 New Yorker article Discussing the Undiscussable).
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Beaver Dreams
Where: Metro Studio
When: Today, Aug. 27, 29. Sept. 1, 2
Rating: three stars
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Montreal鈥檚 Lost and Found Puppet Co. offers a goofy puppet show with a deliberate thrift-shop aesthetic.
Set in bucolic cottage country, Beaver Dreams is a comic romp chronicling an ongoing battle between vacationers and beavers. The beavers want to build dams. The cottagers aren鈥檛 keen on this,听as it makes the river run too high. Meanwhile, commercial developers are intent on ruining paradise.
There鈥檚 some clever puppet-work here. The Lost and Found duo 鈥� who play purring beavers in a neo-vaudeville manner 鈥� make use of shadow puppetry and cutouts. There are also animated video segments in which family members muse on the beauty of cottage country.
In the manner of traditional clowning, the laughs are broad and good-natured. Beaver Dreams has scored plaudits in other cities. No doubt kids will enjoy it. And if the notion of puppeteers sporting giant beaver teeth makes you giggle, you may well love it as well.