Who can tell what is best for another person? Sometimes, what benefits the body may be utterly damaging for the soul.

In “Under the Mango Tree,” Veenesh Dubois explores the depth of pain which starts during her early childhood and stays for the rest of her life. The main character, 10 year old girl Timal, stays with her grandparents at home in a small village on Fiji while her father leaves for Canada in search of a better life for both of them. Six years pass and the only connection she has with her father are letters from this far away land, Canada, and her undying hope that she will be joining him there soon. After she is married off, her dream is crushed, but life goes on and her hope still persists. It is only when she is an adult woman and a mother that her father asks her to visit him. Upon her arrival, she finds out that her father passed away before she could see him again. In her desperate devastation at losing him definitely, she still clings to the hope that they will meet, if not in this than surely in another life.

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Imagine being trapped in a whale’s stomach for a very long time. You eat mountains of stale crackers, read two books over and over again and -  being alone for a long time – you finally invent friends.   West builds his story on two classics: Moby Dick and Don Quixote.  The concept is very interesting and allows the author to explore daily life and the quest for love. Told in a funny way, it captivates the audience better at some moments than others. Although it is generally a good, well-paced and interesting show, from time to time it seemed that West ran out of ideas. Definitely a good story-teller however,  he is not meant to be a singer and the  song at the end of the show does not help. it is obvious that it  only serves to fill the time. I would have liked to see West invest a little bit more time and energy in the story, because it is the highlight here and it makes the show.

Written and performed by:

Zeb L. West

In "Slut (r)evolution" Cameryn Moore is talking about sexual experiences. There is one thing to say about Moore: she is an excellent actress. Her performance is strong, vivid, and convincing. A perfect pace and especially skilful use of pauses makes it very natural. Yes, it feels as if she is not acting but talking to the audience about her own experience. Surely, good direction makes this show a success.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said about the story. In fact, there is no story. Moore represents a form of Open Theatre where yesterday’s taboo topics are now spoken about freely. Thus, the story about sex and enjoying sex – homosexual and heterosexual equally. The language is "mature," which means that the script consists of many profanities. There is nothing wrong here with the topic, language or angle. The problem is that those tools are confused with the story. I was listening for about 60 minutes about numerous sexual encounters, one very similar to another. There was nothing along or between the lines that had the slightest hint of character, reason or consequence, or, anything at all beyond the sex. I am quite sure that every person has something that distinguishes her or him in a given situation. Surely, sex is an important part of life, but it is also part of who we are and it fits somewhere and happens because of something. Nothing in our lives, including sex, can stand on its own, floating between earth and heaven, as this play suggests.

Created and performed by: Cameryn Moore

Directed by: Elizabeth DuPré

From the creator of “Gametes and Gonads” comes another hilarious comedy. “The Show Must Go On”  has Jeff Leard’s signature all over it: it is funny, witty, and physical.

Leard tells about his experiences as an actor who started his career touring Canada with a children’s show. The experience encompassed numerous misfortunes on the road, in motels where they stayed and in classrooms where they performed. Leard’s unwillingness to be part of it is clear. Among many obvious reasons, there was the fact that he hated children. But, he would not be Jeff Leard if it were that simple. Somewhere, squeezed in between slippery and sloppy roads, bike gangs, and dirty motels, blossomed a heap of wonderful pictures and heart warming occurrences. During the narrative the young actor, although unaware of it, grew up and matured. At the end of the cycle he came to a realization that he loved performing for children and, more importantly, that his work made a difference. It’s a wonderful story told by an even better performer who kept the audience engaged every second of the hour. Leard’s acrobatic and acting abilities are superb. He is an unparalleled  story teller, able to bring a variety of characters on the stage, and to make each of them unique and convincing. He performs with every segment of  his body: his movements and facial expressions paint the additional elements of the tale, which enhance the scenography and add much to the already rich atmosphere.

“The Show Must Go On” is entertaining, funny and highly creative, all the reason why this show is a must for admirers of  good theatre.

Written and performed by: Jeff Leard

Directed by: James Leard

Dramaturgy: Rob Salerno

Four strangers are stranded in an airport due to the fact that their pilot is missing. The only way to depart is to participate (and win) a game set up by the airport authorities. As the game evolves on different stages, the audience comes to know the characters better: the competitive 13 years old Piper, the not so bright Pete and Phil, and deceiving Pascale. "Pilot" surely promises more than it delivers. Its very simple and meaningless story, non-existent direction and mostly amateurish acting failed to create drama, humour or honest connections. Talented and energetic Jaclyn Martinez (as Pascale) used up all her energy on the stage in an attempt to infuse some life into the show that looked more like an inside joke than any kind of play. The naive explanation (trying to be funny?) at the end did not help in any way. The message: "you are stupid Americans, and we can make you believe anything" does not sound very convincing or, at least, factual. It came off more as offensive and rude. Maybe there was a deeper meaning in all this, but it definitely did not come across. The audience helped as much as it could. People applauded when they are told to do so, repeated slogans even laughed from time to time, but all this was not enough to build a decent theatre.

Cast

Pete – Kyle Cunningham

Pascale – Jaclyn Martinez

Phil – Mike Connors

Piper – Ashley Rissler

Game Show Assistent – Sam Dietrich

Photo: Barb Gray   Left to right:   Kimwun Perehinec and Nancy Beatty

Like Wolves  by Rosa Laborde is a comedy, and no doubt about it! All elements are there: It is funny, it is entertaining and, of course, it is easy to relate to. What separates it from most entertaining comedies is the author’s ability to be funny without losing a connection with life. Some may be confused by the tragic end (what an inappropriate end for the comedy!), but it is precisely that extra value that comedies rarely deliver. Laborde does not play on sentimentality, but instead of offering an expected happy ending, she stays away from clichés and goes for a harsh reality.

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Christian Lapointe as Sebastian.  Photo: NAC

Lars Norén’s play, "20. November," is a monodrama based on the true story of a young man who injured five teachers and fellow students at the Geschwister-Scholl School in Emsdetten and took his own life immediately after. In the process of writing, Norén used parts of the young man’s diary, which was published on the Internet. His protagonist is an angry, confused, tormented misfit who only seeks to be included and accepted for what he is. He tells us the most disturbing truth, the one that we don’t want to know and don’t want to see. Is a young man who counts the minutes of the last hours of his life the only one to blame for his actions? To what extent is society, as it is today, a creator of events like this one?

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