Ottawa Fringe. Entangled: a surefire fringe hit and a valuable lesson in great theatre-making
Entangled, a new play from Almonte-based writer, Jacob Berkowitz, is a story of two friends, two magnificent thinkers, with some seriously unfinished business. Who are these two individuals? Why, none other than Carl Jung (Paul Rainville), the famed psychoanalyst, and Wolfgang Pauli (David Frisch), the lesser-known, though equally influential, quantum physicist. With a first-rate script and rapid-fire dialogue, Entangled, directed by Cathy Clark, lays bare the complex relationship betwixt these two intellectual titans, and instills within each a sense of humanity and three-dimensionality that is at once heartfelt and utterly captivating.
Entangled is, at its very core, a conversation. Though what begins as a courteous and somewhat shallow exchange, soon transforms into a kind of interrogative joust. As the play progresses, we observe the two men grapple with self-doubt, the many frustrations that accompany their separate professions, and the woes of friendship. While the pair emerged out of a patient-doctor correspondence—Jung being the interpreter of Pauli’s troubling dreams—, when we meet these two individuals, much time has passed, and Pauli must know why his friend neglected to visit him on his deathbed. With this consequential question, physicist and psychologist collide, revealing personal truths and universal archetypes which neither mind can ignore.
Rainville and Frisch deliver Berkowitz’s sharp-witted dialogue as if the words were written just for them, and their careful yet fervent interplay, much like a tennis match, is positively superb to watch. As Jung, Rainville simply exudes intellect and prestige. With his restrained and sometimes trembling demeanour, and his soft but gravelly timbre, Jung evolves into something more than the distant, towering figure encountered in psychology textbooks—he becomes human. Frisch’s Pauli—equally human—often seems humbly unaware of his own stature, making him an excellent match for Rainville’s Jung. Moreover, Frisch’s moderate boyishness and excitability perfectly add to the father-son dimension of this multi-faceted relationship. While the two actors enact certain archetypes, if you will, both men infuse their characters with just the right amount of sentiment and insecurity such that the gap between audience member and historical figure is ever so slight by the end of the performance. And, Rainville’s line, “If it is about me, then how can it be scientific?”, is surely an unforgettable one.
In this realm of antiparticles, word association, and the depths of the unconscious, Entangled is undoubtedly dense. And yet, through some form of syntactical sorcery, Berkowitz’s skillful writing has a way of making you understand what you know you certainly do not. In a word, Entangled, a beautifully magnetic force, is well worth your ticket at this year’s Fringe.
Entangled continues until June 23rd as part of the Ottawa Fringe Festival. For more information and tickets, see https://ottawafringe.com/shows/entangled/.