Montreal, Quebec Online Review: NTS's 'i am entitled to rest' 's charming script of love and loss is tender and haunting
Associate Toronto Critic Aaron Kropf
i am entitled to rest is the second entry in The New Words Festival, the final project of the graduation class of the English section of Montreal’s National Theatre School of Canada. The company presented its performance as a video on YouTube owing to restrictions imposed by COVID-19. Kalale Dalton-Lutale produced a charming script about love and loss that is sometimes quite tender and, at other times, haunting. Director Murdoch Schon staged a wonderful online production given the pandemic restraints.
In i am entitled to rest, Dalton-Lutale explores the many ways in which people grieve a loved one using familiar Snow-White characters. The production begins with Snow White addressing the audience about the memories of her mother, then quickly transitions to her love of Whitney Houston and, finally, the relationship between Houston and her daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown and their untimely deaths. From there we are transported to the Forrest of the dwarfs who are preparing for “the ceremony.” As they prepare, we see how each dwarf (only 6 in this instance) deals with the death of Snow White. This script was beautifully written with a diligent creative team who helped Dalton-Lutale to develop and to refine the beautiful tale of love and loss. I hope to see more work from Kalale Dalton-Lutale soon.
The story is presented using actors, puppets, and the relationship between actor and puppet becomes a focus. For the most part, the puppetry was generally used solidly; however, at times, this usage created a disconnect between the viewer and the storytellers when it switched from puppet to actor or visa versa. It was easy to pair the actor with their puppet (when the puppet wasn’t in use) because they had identical hairstyles. Switching from puppets to actors felt disjointed, nevertheless, and the production never really did overcome this issue.
Snow White, deftly played by Sadie Laflamme-Snow, connected finely with the audience using the medium of video. This instantly drew me into the story and blurred the lines a little between what is theatre versus what is film. When the story shifted from Snow White to the dwarfs, it was delightful to see the whimsical puppets and scenery created to tell the story in this medium. It was in this moment where the actors used their puppets skillfully. Additionally, the use of technology to have all on-screen at the same time was fantastic to behold with the eye.
Erin Loretta Mickey, as Happy, brought a wide range of emotion and was the one who led us through the five stages of grief, sometimes with subtlety and other times not. This was a marvel to watch. The interaction between Dopey (Brontae Hunter) and Sneezy (Erika Prevost) were some of the best interactions throughout the production. At times I wanted to see more of them – the dance development and the mending of their relationship were highlights. Wahsonti:io Kirby’s portrayal of Bashful was touching and heartbreaking. She had a childlike quality in all her interactions that brought yet another level to the storytelling. The company shone in i am entitled to rest. It will be a real treat to see any of these performers on the stage once that becomes our reality again.
This online performance uniquely allowed the English graduating class of The National Theatre School of Canada to showcase their talents. They are to be commended for overcoming the challenge of presenting a live performance while dealing with social and physical distancing challenges. Audiences can watch i am entitled to rest through to May 7 on TheRealSnowWhite YouTube channel.