Broken: Interesting subject lacking depth

When William discovers a box of his late grandfather’s memorabilia, his childhood spent in the loving surroundings of home unrolls before his eyes.  He shares his fond memories of that time with the audience, using “the puppetry of objects” technique to help him depict the time. This wise use of technology, coupled with the meaningful use of light, proved to be essential to Fidler’s play, Broken. It added a sense of reality and life to the grandfather who came off as a very creative and wise character.

True, I wanted to learn more about him, his life and how he has influenced William’s growing-up. However, Fidler’s focus was somewhere else. He wanted to tell us about the devastating impacts of Alzheimer’s disease. So, somewhere among many things mentioned – his life with the grandfather, the adventure of being lost in the unknown forest, and the tragedy of dementia – he lost his focus and failed to add a few layers to the story telling. The connection, love, and warmth were not quite there. Parts of the story even felt disconnected, flat, and the performer seems to be unengaged from time to time. Involving the audience and explaining some scenes did not help either – on the contrary – it killed the magic of what was supposed to be very personal and emotional performance.

Brian Fidler played characters of the grandfather and William with the obvious skill of the good actor; however, he failed to portray the characters instead of just telling us their story.

Broken is part of this year’s Undercurrents Festival.

Production: Ramshackle Theatre (Whitehorse, YK)

Author & Performer: Brian Fidler

Director: Maiko Bae Yamamoto

Dramaturgy: DD Kugler

Original music and sound: Jordy Walker

Designers: David Skelton

Stage manager: Sarah Moore