Michael Cox returns to the acclaimed venue to review Our Fathers, Tales of Magical Realism, Bonanza, HeLa, The Tin Ring and Dark Matter.
Another mad round of Summerhall productions—perhaps more eclectic than my first all-day marathon from last week.
Our Fathers (***), by theatre company Babakas, is an interesting look at the concept of parenthood. Three roommates, two of whom are a gay couple, are challenged to look at their own concept of fatherhood when one of the men is asked to donate sperm in order to allow a woman he’s never met to conceive.
This is a production much better in parts than as a whole. Couple Mike and Bert reflect on their absent fathers (one left, the other died young), and there’s a really nice undercurrent of uncertainty and veiled anger. However, it is third roommate Sophie, openly flirting with male audience members while hero worshipping her rather flamboyant father, who has all the best moments, including clever and interesting interactions with shadow projections and film.
Maybe the whole doesn’t quite mesh, but Our Fathers is still a worthy production, filled with enough heart, tenderness and humour to make one see past its shortcomings.
Another production that works better in parts but does manage to hang together—just—is Tales of Magical Realism (****). Sven Werner’s adventure in multimedia and miniatures is an interesting dream-like theatrical trip.
Does it make sense? I’m not too sure, and it just ends without giving much of a satisfying conclusion. But the 45-minute experience, which asks audience members to take an individual journey via a soundscape piped in through headphones while looking through strategically placed eyeholes, is consistently interesting and never dull. The narration also has a twinge of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, giving the audio tour a slightly on-edge feel to a theatrical trip worth taking.
There’s a great film to be made about the residents of the American city of Bonanza (**). It only has seven permanent residents, many of whom barely speak to each other, and some of whom were in a legal battle against each other.
This installation/film incorporates a medium-sized model of the city’s six major buildings and five screens to tell the story of these residents. By having five screens instead of a single point-of-view, the story feels richer as reactions and background images can be viewed concurrently.
And yet something is missing. There is a fascinating story buried somewhere, but it feels like the company behind the film didn’t delve enough into details, resulting in an experience that is interesting but feels shallow and too easy.
Easy is not a word one can use to describe the terrific HeLa (****). Written and performed by Adura Onashile, the play follows the scientific discoveries made due to the use of cells taken from one Henrietta Lacks, a black American woman whose family had no idea science had cashed in on the use of her genetic samples.
Part history lesson and part character study, the play asks some uncomfortable questions about science, accountability and whether one has true ownership of their genetic make-up. It has a superb design construct, with excellent lights, interesting projections and a hypnotic soundscape.
It also has a brilliant performance by Onashile, who plays each role with integrity and gives an overall compelling performance cloaked in humanity.
Also filled with humanity is The Tin Ring (***), a heart-breaking holocaust story based on Zdenka Fantlova’s life from 1936-1946. The play looks at that time from two angles: first from her family’s point of view, going from respected members of a community to inmates in a concentration camp, and then as a love story, rewinding time to follow Fantlova’s first love affair. Tying these two stories is the titular ring, a gift from her boyfriend that she manages to keep.
Jane Arnfield, who with director Mike Alfreds also adapted the book for the stage, performs brilliantly, taking the audience on a difficult journey through one of recent history’s darkest hours. With few props and little design, she gives a brave performance that is stripped to the emotional core.
And yet, there is something oddly distancing about the piece. Though great in every aspect, it still doesn’t manage to deliver the great sucker punch to the gut that it wants to land, resulting in a performance that is easy to admire but not quite as engaging as it should be. However, if anything it did make me want to read Fantlova’s book.
Another production great in its parts, if not as a whole, is Dark Matter (****), a site-specific piece that is brilliant in execution and easy to admire.
Set in a back garden of an actual residence, the play is a 40-minute monologue given by a young woman. She’s suffered abandonment twice in her life: the death of her parents when she was young and later the rejection of her married lover. She recounts these disappointments while trying to come to terms. But something, for some reason, isn’t letting her…
From a performance point of view, it’s hard to find fault with Vision Mechanics’ production. Performer Emma Anderson is excellent, creating a performance that is both powerful and moving. The design, particularly the sound and lighting, is equally mesmerising.
Too bad Chris Lee’s script doesn’t equal the rest. Much of the story and characters are clichéd and there is little depth given to the main character or the situation she finds herself. Had this been performed on a stage the experience would probably feel adequate at best. However, with its great central performance, wonderful design and fantastic use of location, Dark Matter distinguishes itself and comes recommended.
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