Caroline Russell-King offers her review of Handsome Alice Theatre’s current production Between Us.
Show: Between Us.
Playwright/composer: Co-created by Meg Farhall and Michael Rolf.
Theatre: Handsome Alice Theatre in the Studio Theatre at Vertigo Theatre.
Length: One act (80 mins.), intermission (15 mins.), “Act Two” the panel discussion (20 mins.).
Genre(s): Drama (however a case could be made for Interpretive Theatre, which by definition is to provoke, relate, reveal, have message unity and address the whole).
Premise: A man picks up a woman in a bar, domestic violence ensues and escalates.
Why this play? Why now?: According to the playwright notes, “Between Us began as an idea about using theatre to start a conversation about the prevalence of domestic violence in Alberta.”
Curiosities: I wondered why the pre-show speech had to include a lecture on the politics we should be paying attention to. Is this why “the right” hates “the left/woke”? When did theatre programs include social issues advertisements before the cast list? Why do plays have to be explained to us? When did we stop talking about art?
Notable moment: The last scene cements the abuser as the protagonist.
Notable writing: It’s brave for a new artistic producer to open the season with her own show. The show has some moments of lighter dialogue to contrast the inevitable ugly escalation of violence. (This isn’t a spoiler alert, we know all about the content before going into the theatre.)
Notable performances: The co-writers cast themselves in the roles and are not without talent, sharing a certain frenetic chemistry.
Notable design: I can’t say that I understood the set or costume design. “Violence Design” is a new term for me. I’m old enough to remember when directors directed intimacy and violence.
Notable direction: Vanessa Porteous meets the challenges inherent in the smash cut of filmic scenes in the script. Set in a thrust stage configuration the action is never static.
One reason to see this show: If you need information on domestic violence you might try this unconventional route.
Between Us runs until Feb. 29 at the Vertigo Theatre.
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 at www.carolinerussellking.com.
