Reviewed
by Robin Breon
Remember
the scene in Bye Bye Birdie when Mr. McAfee and his family get the word that they
are going to be on the Ed Sullivan Show with Conrad Birdie? I always think
that's what it must be like when one of the smaller scale shows in Toronto gets
the nod from Mirvish Productions that "their shoe" has been deemed
worthy of the main stage. It must be an electric bit of frisson that shoots
through the company when the word comes down as it did for the talented folks
at Theatre Gargantua that their play e-Dentity, which was one of the break-out hits at the Toronto
Fringe Theatre Festival two years ago, would get to see an after-life as part
of the Mirvish Productions subscription season.
One
can readily understand why producer Brian Sewell was attracted to the show and
felt it worth the effort. Artistic director Jacquie P.A. Thomas and her playwright partner, Michael
Spence have put
together a multi-media romp that zips around the stage like the cursor on an
optical mouse as it weaves together several characters mapping their way
through lives that seem to take on meaning only when they log into cyber-space.
These mostly anonymous, though sometimes compelling relationships, take on
various twists and turns, in chat rooms with participants from around the
globe.
In
an effort to dramatize these relationships, the information technology is
displayed on various scrims, screens and monitors within a constantly rotating
and choreographed movement of swivel chairs and coordinated keyboard action to
the extent that it makes one worry about the effects of repetitive strain
injury. The strength of the direction (and here is where I give Ms. Thomas a
lot of credit) is meeting the challenge of a basically sedentary activity (i.e.
sitting in front of your computer) and elevating it to life, motion and
dramatic action on the stage.
But
although the Internet as fodder for the drama is a compelling idea, it doesn't
quite come off in this production. Perhaps it's the elevation of "Dog Poop
Girl" as the scatological obsession of the chat rooms in the first act
which doesn't quite have the humor or gravitas to move us comfortably into some
of the more serious questions raised (albeit with brevity) in the second act.
Despite the dramaturgical challenge, I did enjoy the invention of a new
theatrical device which I'll dub the "web-cam cameo" featuring an
agitated mayor of Toronto, David Miller, along with a more nuanced performance by David
Mirvish himself
dialoguing on the appropriate punishment to be meted out to Dog Poop Girl.
In
offering something of a disclaimer for any critic who might want to zero in on
the superficial surface-writing of the script, the program notes make it clear
that e-Dentity
is not meant to work around a traditional, linear dramatic structure, rather it
has "fascinating characters, settings and action, but these are presented
in new and inventive ways, bringing us a whole new kind of theatre
experience." Yes, I get that, but hold on a minute. There are still the
conventions of story telling that you disregard at your own risk when writing
for the theatre.
As
e-Dentity
reminds us several times, the Internet is a vast universe of ideas and
interactions globally linked and on-going 24/7. What about Fast Eddie getting
middled in cyberspace along with the day trader who lost everything and put a
45 to his head? Then there are the Paris Hilton wannabes, the underside of the
porno industry and that mysterious assistant minister of finance operating out
of a boiler room in Lagos that would like to put 35.2 million in your personal
account, just for a short while. In other words, there are eight million stories
in cyberspace - take your pick and write a play.