Toronto Review: 'Suitcase/Adrenaline' at Theatre Passe Muraille
Joe Szekeres, Chief Toronto Critic
I’ve always found it refreshing to return to the one act play periodically because I’ve liked the fact there is a short specific time limit. The strength of a one act lies in the fact so much can be said in such little time. One title that always comes to my mind is Edward Albee’s ‘The Zoo Story’ as so much is told with just the bare necessities of props and set design on the stage.
I was looking forward to review Theatre Passe Muraille’s opening night of two one act plays: ‘Suitcase/Adrenaline’ by Ahmad Maree for the very reasons listed above. If these two plays could tell a lot in such a short time, it would have been an evening well worth spent.
These two plays on this opening night were fascinating for me. For one, they are both performed in the original Arabic (with English surtitles captioned). There are two upcoming performances with in ear translations where live actors will perform the English dialogue. Although these two plays have no direct correlation, there was one connection that I found which binds them together – the role of the immigrant who comes into a new world and new life.
I can’t even begin to imagine the hardships that a Syrian immigrant and refugee encounters and experiences in leaving a homeland and beginning a new life somewhere else. Performers Ahmad Meree (in both) and Nada Abusaleh (Suitcase) are quite good in capturing those moments of emotional intensity in both plays needed without it going over the top into histrionics. The comic moments Mr. Meree and Ms. Abusaleh are perfectly timed for audience reaction.
Julia Kim’s set design in ‘Suitcase’ was extremely sparse. A suitcase up just off-centre right with two chairs centre stage plus curtain fabric strung at various angles. Chris Malkowski’s spotlights on Ms. Abusaleh and Mr. Meree nicely focused attention on the performer at that moment. The quibble I have with the text of ‘Suitcase’ is the fact that I could not tell where the story was taking place. The Passe Muraille brochure states “we are to consider the lives of refugees and the series of liminal spaces they inhabit.” Ok, Mr. Malkowski’s varied spot lit points on the stage reflect these new beginnings of life for the immigrant. But I couldn’t decipher if the performers are living in the past, the present or are they in some ‘holding tank’ or ‘other world’ before they are arrive in the new world to which they are headed. This became extremely confusing to me especially as I was trying to follow the English caption so I didn’t lose focus on the dialogue. What was extremely effective at the conclusion of ‘Suitcase’ occurs when Ms. Abusaleh and Mr. Meree step inside the suitcase themselves. A very clever and appropriate ending indeed as it is the person himself/herself who must begin anew.
‘Adrenaline’ tells the story of Jaber, a young Syrian man (Mr. Meree), who spends his first New Year’s Eve in Canada. Periodically, we hear fireworks and cheers outside while inside Jaber begins to recount what happened last New Year’s Eve prior in Syria to different sounds exploding.
Director Majdi Bou-Matar’s set design of a dining room table on rug is found centre stage. There is a fan at stage right. An empty tank covered with a team sweater slightly down stage right. A coat rack can be found stage left. Colin Labadie’s sound designs of the bombs and the fireworks are perfectly timed for an instantaneous emotional reaction from the audience ranging from horror to sadness. Laura Johnson-Sherratt’s lighting design warmly introduces us to a comfortable home setting. The lighting then changes as we begin to enter Jaber’s thoughts as he speaks aloud.
‘Adrenaline’ is a powerfully written thirty-five-minute performance of natural performance intensity which Mr. Meree consistently and bravely maintained. There were only two brief instances where I was brought out of the moment albeit briefly. When Jaber talks about how Syrians are like other people, I quickly was reminded of Shylock’s famous “Hath not a Jew speech” from ‘The Merchant of Venice’. Whether or not that is intentional at that point, this moment does work but there is just a bit too much sounding like Shylock.
I don’t want to spoil for future audiences the other surprise in ‘Adrenaline’s’ text as it is quite poignant and moving so bravo for cutting through to my heart. The only slight quibble I had about ‘Adrenaline’ is the fact I was also reminded of a solo film performance from Tom Hanks which may have been intentional again or not. Once again, Mr. Meree may just want to be careful not to sound like Mr. Hanks at that point.
FINAL COMMENTS: Theatre Passe Muraille Artistic Director Marjorie Chan stated in her Programme Note: “With the multitude of languages used on a daily basis [in Toronto], I hope that in the future at TPM, we will be able to welcome even more works in their original language.”
I hope so too.
Photo of Ahmad Meree by Hoffworks Productions
Running time: approximately 120 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.
Suitcase/Adrenaline
Runs to February 1, 2020 on the Mainspace stage at Theatre Passe Muraille, 16 Ryerson Avenue, Toronto. For tickets please call the Box Office at 416-504-7520 or visit www.passemuraille.ca for further information.
Both One Act plays written by Ahmad Maree. Both one act plays directed by Majdi Bou-Matar. Both script translations by Priscilla Jamal. Both plays stage managed by Alyssa Almeida.
Suitcase:
Performed by Nada Abusaleh & Ahmad Meree; Lighting Design: Chris Malkowski; Set & Costume Design: Julia Kim; Sound Design: Janice Jo Lee;
Adrenaline:
Performed by Ahmad Maree; Lighting Design: Laura Johnson-Sherratt; Sound Design: Colin Labadie; Set Design: Majdi Bou-Matar