Ottawa Fringe 2013. Chesterfield.

Everyone has that voice in the back of their head that preys on their insecurities and whispers demoralizing things. To what extent you give in to this personal bully relies on a variety of things, from strength of character to events in your life at the time. Dead Unicorn Ink has decided to externalize this voice in the form of Chesterfield, a malicious talking couch. Sounds a bit weird? Sure, but that’s what makes the idea so good as well. It’s different and funny, while still talking about something of importance. This is the story of a young married couple, Zach and Sarah (Drake Evans and Gabrielle Lazarovitz) who are going through a hard time in their marriage due, simply, to not communicating enough. Their own fears, already formed somewhere in the back of their minds, are exacerbated by the couch, spinning the situation out of control. This is a show with a lot of potential. Unfortunately the acting was a bit imbalanced, diluting the effect. Lazarovitz gives a strong performance, while Evans and other co-star Aaron Lejeunesse are a bit off with their characterization. Better pacing and subtler changes in tone would go a long way in both of their cases. The lighting could also be fixed up, as there were scenes which were left dark for too long.

Chesterfield

A Dead Unicorn Ink production

Written by: Patrice Ann Forbes

Directed by: Sylvie Recoskie. Cast: Zach: Drake Evans, Donald: Aaron Lejeunesse, , Sarah: Gabrielle Lazarovitz