Review: Leslie Ting's 'Speculation' at Theatre Passe Muraille

A “theatrical concert” is the program’s description of a rejuvenation of Leslie Ting’s one person production of ‘Speculation.’  Theatre Passe Muraille, in partnership with NUMUS, presents this on line digital programming through the weekend of March 20.  Ms. Ting’s multi-media work surrounds her real life problematic relationship with her mother who she describes, at times, as “stubborn” and “unreasonable.”  Complicating this conflict is her mother’s slow descent into blindness and eventually her death.  Soliloquy, film and music combine to establish the chaos of this relationship.  However, the highlight of this production comes from the performance of two musicians at the very top of their craft.

Ms. Ting is clearly an accomplished violinist as she works through renditions of some of John Cage’s major works.  Some of her work includes creative dissonance that parallels the chaos with her mother.  The pianist, Hye Won Cecilia Lee, skillfully takes us through a number of Beethoven sonatas with elegance and clarity.  Ms. Ting’s choice of John Cage’s music is notable due to his controversial theories about the tension between “desirable” sound and “undesirable” noise.  This culminates in his 1952 piece “4’33” where musicians prepare to play but stop and the audience hears only ambient noise for the title’s length – Ting ends her production with an example of this work.  Beethoven’s well known deafness at an early age also parallels the discord and pain of failing senses and relationships.

Projections by Amelia May Scott and abstract films by Elinor Svoboda and Zachary Finkelstein supplement Ms. Ting’s monologues about the trying times with her mother.  The films, sometimes dark and shadowy, and other times bright and disorderly reflect both the conflict of personalities and the actuality of losing sight.  Highlights include an opening sequence where an eclipse-like image darkens the middle of the field, while brightness tries to reach around the corners.  Slivers of light often reach across scenes without washing them out.  Spotlights course through without the audience knowing their origin.  Strong reds and yellows heat up and then dissipate while other silhouette motifs again reflect the loss of sight.  Ms. Ting’s former profession as an optometrist is clearly on display.

Ms. Ting’s monologue work seems to lack passion at times but this may be the influence of her own direction and her co-directors.  Her anger and the disharmony with her mother have become almost tiresome as she finally claims that she has virtually given up on the relationship.  Her final moments with the 4’33” performance are breathtaking – she stands with her violin, holding it with reverence, almost caressing it as a child.  The scene is not so much about silence or ambient noise, but more about how we listen.  From Ms. Ting’s notes, she says “the way you express yourself is one thing – but how you listen and receive is also important.”

Ms. Ting entitled the performance ‘Speculation.’  Again from her notes, she used this title because “I was left with possibilities about my mother, not answers, and that is what has liberated me.”  In this time of pandemic “possibilities” is what buoys us.  But please enjoy this performance mainly for the richness of the sparkling and beautiful music.

‘Speculation’ – Leslie Ting

Produced by – Theatre Passe Muraille

Director and performer – Leslie Ting

Projection and Filmmakers – Amelia May Scott, Elinor Svoboda, Zachary Finkelstein

Pianist – Hye Won Cecilia Lee

Co-directors – Alex Bulmer, Tristan Whiston

Tickets – www.passemuraille.ca Photo credit: Theatre Passe Muraille