Toronto Review: THE EVENTS at Streetcar Crows nest Theatre
Dave Rabjohn, Associate Toronto Critic
This March, Necessary Angel Theatre Company presents a bold and dark drama partly based on the Norwegian terror attacks in 2011. In a generic sense the story moves directly to the usual question of why. Answers are ultimately unsatisfying or incomplete, but David Greig’s play ‘The Events’ at least takes us into the arena where the audience is challenged with the many elements involved in such a tragedy. Severe right wing politics and anti-immigration sentiments are the surface of the story, but Greig combs further depths.
We are met with a relatively bare stage but for a set of chairs forming bleachers. A simple piano and coffee urn suggest the warmth of a church setting or community gathering. Tucked in a corner is an orange cone – the only hint of an emergency situation. A choir then mingles on to the stage and the seating where they are greeted by a pastor/choir leader. As the choir begins “We Will Rejoice” the audience bolts upright at the sparkling beauty of the singing and the gorgeous harmonies. The irony is that this is a semi-professional group called the East End United Choir who only participates in a couple of the show dates. Other local community choirs round out the run. This connects the play locally and offers a unique perspective.
Raven Dauda plays the pastor with both solemnity and vigor. A veteran of Toronto theatre, Ms. Dauda plays the part of a surviving victim of the terror events. A spellbinding scene records the horrors of being confronted with a killer and his gun. She experiences a Sophie’s Choice style stand off which leads to her own questions of ‘why’ when she is selected to survive.
Kevin Walker plays the part of the disgruntled young man testifying about the roots of his campaign of terror. The disheveled terrorist rails against politics and immigrants with ugly zeal. But Mr. Walker is charged, as an actor, to display a large array of characters – he is also a psychiatrist, a father, a lover and a victim. His remarkable versatility is on full display as he subtlety moves from part to part with ease. He also uses wonderfully controlled physicality as he crawls, scorpion-like, across the entire stage in a devilish trance. The two actors uniquely merge their skills in various moments of stare downs or moments of extreme sexual tension.
Coming back to the choir, Mr. Greig has ingeniously created a third character working almost as a reluctant Greek chorus. Their anthems elevate the atmosphere almost heavenly, but at times they also ask questions or intervene with commentary. Because of their ‘part time’ connection with the production, they read the lines from a page in monotone – often sounding amateurish. It quickly becomes clear that this is the playwright’s clever manipulation. The choir is meant to be static and neutral – meant to objectively decipher tragedy in contrast to the two main characters who horrifically live it. But this must be said again – their singing was stunningly beautiful.
Wonderful original music by the Irish composer John Browne only accentuates the power of the choir. As well, Alan Dilworth’s direction amplified with dramatic force the brilliance of the two main actors. Mr. Dilworth’s commentary repeats the phrase “to shift our narrative.” This play has succeeded in doing that as the audience is exposed to a variety of angles trying to make some sense of the roots of tragedy. We may not have a fulsome answer to the question of “why” but Mr. Greig wades us into the discomfort of different perspectives.
‘The Events’ by David Greig Produced by Necessary Angel Theatre – Toronto
Actors: Ravan Dauda, Kevin Walker
Production Team: Alan Dilworth – Director, Jacqueline Teh – Music Director, Ken Mackenzie - Set and costume design, Kimberly Purtell – Lighting design.
Runs through March 15, 2020. Streetcar Crowsnest Theatre Toronto. Tickets: necessaryangel.com
Photo of the cast courtesy of Dahlia Katz.