Writer Caroline Russell-King offers her patented postcard review of Seadreamer’s current production of Daniel MacIvor’s acclaimed work Monster — just in time for Halloween.
Show: Monster.
Playwright/composer: Daniel Maclvor.
Production company/theatre space: Seadreamer, at the Motel, Arts Commons.
Length: One act (one hour, 20 minutes with no intermission).
Genre(s): Drama/tragedy (with horror overtones).
Premise: One man deals with addiction and his inner monster in a story told through a cast of interwoven characters.
Why this play? Why now?: Halloween is a good time to think about the scariest monsters of all – us.
Curiosities: While there are only a limited amount of lights at the ready in the Motel, I wondered what a great swath of lights could do to support the storytelling. I wondered about the structure of the play and whether is was more of a dreamcatcher with all tightly pulled threads that trap the audience in a nightmare, or a spiders web were we are bound by the stickiness of dysfunction.
Notable moment: The graphic imagery of the events in the basement are spine chilling.
Notable writing: A finalist for the Governor General’s Award for drama this one-man show is a rich macramé weaving of characters who tell a gripping story.
Notable performances: Caleb Gordon has plucked the perfect showcase for his talents — he has the potential to be a Canadian version of Bradley Cooper.
Notable design/production: Troy Couillard provides a sound soundscape for MacIvor’s play with small details like a baby’s cry that goes from attention seeking to panic.
Notable direction: Elizabeth Stepkowski Tarhan knows how to keep tension and pace — she eschews the over complication of extraneous blocking and props to keep focus tightly on the action and split-second transformations from character to character.
One reason to see this show: Monstrously good.
Seadreamer’s production of Monster runs until Nov. 3 at Motel Theatre in Arts Commons. Tickets can be reserved by calling 587-832-5066, by emailing SeadreamerProductions@gmail.com or on Facebook.
Caroline Russell-King is a playwright, dramaturg, and instructor. She is a member of The Playwrights Guild of Canada, the Dramatist Guild of America and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. You can find her work here www.carolinerussellking.com.
