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BLACK BOX FIRE:DEAD CERTAIN
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by
A. Dowler
SEPTEMBER 18-24, 2008 |
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Dead Certain, by British playwright Marcus Lloyd at the Staircase this weekend, tries hard to be a profound philosophical exploration of fate and choice. While it does not quite reach these lofty heights, it does succeed as a riveting psychological thriller. It has many complex layers, revealed to create deeper and deeper intrigue, and a few twists at the end. The play has been called “a delicious four–dimensional pretzel,” and since I can’t put it better myself I won’t try. The Black Box Fire Company handles the story well, with solid contributions from the creative team.
The director’s notes for Dead Certain invite us to ponder whether or not free will is an illusion. And if so, what does that mean for personal responsibility? Can we be held accountable for our actions if we are simply victims of circumstance? The play raises these as Big Questions which we are meant to brood over after the curtain falls. But really, the nature of the characters and the way the story unfolds offers fairly clear answers to these questions. That is not to say they don’t make compelling undercurrents to the action onstage. It just doesn’t pack the philosophical punch it means to.
This being a thriller, I’m limited in what I can reveal about the plot. The quick premise is this: Elizabeth Bartlett (Alicia Micallef) is a crippled ex–dancer and a lover of theatre. She decides to try writing a script, and to this end hires Michael Boyd (A.J. Haygarth) — a moderately successful actor — to enact some of the scenes and work on the story. Michael travels to Elizabeth’s large Victorian manor (in a thriller? Shocking!), and here is where our story begins.
The performances are one of the main strengths of this production. Both actors are very capable, and suitably ramp up the tension and intensity as the play progresses. However, both are a little too young and pretty for their respective roles.
Haygarth’s Michael is a note–perfect study in watching a mind crumble over the course of two hours. Haygarth seamlessly moves from professionalism to confusion to bluster to collapse and back again through it all. He even sells it when Michael chooses to stay with Elizabeth at the end of first act, a choice that would strain credibility with a less skilled actor. What Haygarth can’t sell (through no fault of his own) is being seasoned enough to be world–weary, to have enough scars on his soul that a choice from his past could sufficiently haunt him. That said, he still delivers a dynamite performance.
Similarly, Micallef offers a strong portrayal of the would–be writer. This impressive newcomer to the Hamilton scene handles her challenging role very well, including being confined to a wheelchair for the entire show. Micallef’s understated charm and graciousness in the beginning only serve her creepy, puppet–mistress vibe later on. But, while her body still looks like it wants to dance, I found it hard to believe she is old enough to be adequately bitter and spiteful. Again, this is through no fault of her own, and does not overly detract from an otherwise bang–on performance.
These forgivable quibbles aside, there are some faults that are less easy to overlook. A good thriller generally starts off somewhat slow and picks up interest as it goes along. There is usually a lot of important information to get through, but not much action. So a good director will try to breeze through the beginning as fast as possible to get to the good stuff. And Dead Certain does just that. The trouble is, it just speeds up from there, and by the end it’s positively racing. There is one devastating revelation after another, and one has to stay sharp to absorb it all. I don’t mind a play that demands the audience pay attention. But this show demands simultaneous mental replay while still carefully watching the fast-paced action. It is sometimes more than my little brain can handle.
Dead Certain is a better thriller than it is an existential query, but it is a very good thriller. If you like to see an intense psychological drama unfold — and can forego texting your friends during Act Two and pay attention instead — this latest offering from Black Box Fire delivers its quota of thrills and intrigue.
See this if you like: The Game, Hitchcock, Christie and their ilk.
Don’t see this if you don’t like: psychological breakdown, complex plot twists, stage blood. V
[JEFF SANTA BARBARA]
Dead Certain
Written by: Marcus Lloyd
Directed by: Jared Lenover
Thursday, September 18th : 8PM
Friday, September 19th : 8PM
Saturday, September 20th : 2PM, 8PM
@ the Staircase Cafe Theatre
27 Dundurn N. : $15
BlackBoxFire.com/deadCertain
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