Review: 'Voice' - Prairie Theatre Exchange

Voice Leif Norman.jpeg

The Prairie Theatre Exchange is offering a digital version of the world premiere of Ismaila Alfa’s new play ‘Voice’. Mr. Alfa is the new host of the popular CBC Metro Morning program and his journey into that role has some history with this play which is sub-titled ‘A father’s love letter to his daughters’. In Toronto for the CBC interview and facing restrictions due to Covid, Mr. Alfa is secluded for weeks from seeing his daughters and this play is partly a reaction to that separation. Topics in this ‘letter’ range widely from racism to BLM to fatherhood and the pandemic itself.

The strength of this production comes from both what the media release calls ‘a heartfelt raw blend of powerful prose and poetry with the rhythm of hip hop’ and the unique staging of the action.

Mr. Alfa himself does the voice over while the two actors play a father figure and a daughter separated on two confining round stages. Melissa Langdon as the girl and Ray Strachan as the father patiently react to the messages from both the voice over and each other. The subtlety of their movements in the confined spaces delivers a strong visual component.

Ms. Langdon’s eyes can be closed or staring or piercing. Her fingers often twitch nervously as does the father’s hands. Mr. Strachan paces with frustration in the enclosed space – both circling the space or moving as a tightrope through the middle. He often touches the floor with his hands or lays down to feel the full effect of connecting with the earth. Both actors massage their own necks as the themes of racism and parenting become difficult.

A major distinction between the two otherwise identical stages is a wall of multiple milk crates on one side of the daughter’s space. This becomes a reservoir of communication with both her father and her past. The crates are filled with similar composition books, but she finds nuggets of differently coloured texts where she reads about some of her background. She slowly mixes the crates, unpacking remnants of a past such as a hoodie with bad memories, a phone and jewelry. Confusion and frustration are played out as she violently empties boxes. As the messaging from her father becomes calmer near the end, she repacks and organizes the boxes to their original order.

The prose and poetry with a rap and hip-hop effect serves to articulate the father’s messaging to his daughter. The rhythms draw us in with grace and power as he speaks of the tough lessons of bigotry and police violence. His anger becomes more muted as he moves towards life lessons such as the need to ‘adapt’ in life and to be patient. His cell phone is an obvious symbol of connection – it was in his hands almost constantly which at times was distracting and overdone. However, there was a brilliant moment where the girl finds an audiotape with a miniature cassette (old bones of technology) and she struggles to figure it out with great comic effect.

The final scene is beautifully choreographed. The daughter, on a positive note, ‘breaks’ out of her circle and flies to new worlds. The father, similarly, breaks out and moves to her abandoned circle proudly smiling – almost congratulating himself.

‘Voices’ is a challenging script with many taxing lessons is produced with compelling integrity.

Photo of Ray Strachan and Melissa Langdon by Leif Norman.

‘Voices’ by Ismaila Alfa

Produced by Prairie Theatre Exchange

Performers: Melissa Langdon, Ray Strachan, Ismaila Alfa

Co-directors and set design: Cheriss Richards, Thomas Morgan Jones

Lighting design: jaymez

Sound design:  Deanna H. Choi

Performances run to July 11, 2021.

For tickets: www.pte.mb.ca.