2 MASTERS OF FRINGE 2019: British lust and off-the-wall wit abound!
The Bald Soprano
Stage 12 (Varscona Theatre)
Back in the ’50s, it’s no wonder that audiences left Eugene Ionesco’s short play The Bald Soprano scratching their heads.
“What was that all about…?”
Well, it’s about 90 minutes of disconnected abstract satire that doesn’t make much logical sense. What they were attending was the birth of “Theatre of the Absurd.” It didn’t take long for the play to be recognized as a trailblazing work of art. The idea went mainstream very quickly and its influence can readily be seen in the works of Harold Pinter, Caryl Churchill and Edward Albee.
Not that going mainstream will help theatre-goers who attend the Bright Young Things production of The Bald Soprano at the Fringe to see much logic in the play – but then it’s not about logic. Director Dave Horak understands that. His direction is precise, as if it all makes sense, while subtly making sure we know this is an upside down world. It’s a perfect approach because it gives a sense of reality we can hold on to as the absurdity goes rushing by.
We first meet the garrulous Smiths. She (a sprightly Belinda Cornish) prattles on with serious middle-class banality to her husband (John Ullyatt) who reads his paper while patiently making listening noises. There seems to be the occasional morsel of sense here but it soon veers off into random nonsense. The two are unlikely hosts to the Martins (Rachel Bowron and Mat Busby) who are amazed to discover that they have a lot in common – before they realize that they are indeed married.
The folly is increased with the appearance of the maid (Shannon Blanchet). And, did I mention the nutcase Fire Chief (Chris Pereira). who tells stories so long and boring that the rest of the cast can prepare and enjoy an entire tea party while he prattles on. Occasionally, when the grandfather clock makes strangled striking sounds, the group break into a jerky puppet dance. The dialogue ranges from sage comment like, “The ceiling is above and the floor below” to the ornithological observation, “I prefer a bird in the bush to a sparrow in a barrow.”
From time to time, the characters engage in bouts of wild lust on the floor. Ionesco seems to be telling us that underneath the layers of British reserve primal beasts still prowl.
5 out of 5
