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written and directed by Darren O’Donnell

Mammalian Diving Reflex, Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace, Toronto

September 24-October 10, 2004

Those attending Darren O’Donnell’s pppeeeaaaccceee and the expecting high energy, intellectually stimulating theatre of O’Donnell’s past hits White Mice or Boxhead will be sorely disappointed.  The work seems unfinished, more like a collection of theatre school sketches than a well-considered performance piece.  It’s stated aim is to give the audience a “spiritual experience”.  If that means making us feel we’ve wasted an hour of our lives, then it succeeds.

After actors Greg MacArthur, Ngozi Paul and Maiko Bae Yamamoto, speaking as an individualized chorus, lead us in communal meditation to achieve a “group hug,” they seem to speak as human souls who have gone through something they call “the revolution.”  The revolution, whatever it is, seems to have cleansed humanity of its foolish preconceptions about life--that we are separate individuals, that coincidences are coincidences or that social conventions like applause have meaning. The revelation that their present state of awareness will in time seem naive leads them to the frenzied repetition of “I am an idiot!”

To this point the play has been interesting if didactic, but after only 20 of the play’s 65 minutes, O’Donnell has run out of ideas.  From the revelation of idiocy through the lame flashback “During the Revolution” to the end, the play wanders, the language becomes banal, the self-reflexive humour subsides, the action becomes inexplicable and pppeeeaaaccceee turns ssstttaaallleee.

It is  primarily the amiable presence of MacArthur, Paul and Yamamoto, excellent performers all, that makes us tolerate the play’s lack of substance for so long.  The use of projections, music and movement seems haphazard.  Rebecca Picherack‘s gorgeous coloured lighting of the sail-like set is not enough to make us think this static work wouldn’t be better as a radio play.  At least then after 20 minutes we could turn it off.           

©Christopher Hoile

Note: A version of this review appeared in Eye Weekly 2004-09-30.

Photo: Greg MacArthur, Ngozi Paul and Maiko Bae Yamamoto. ©2004 John Lauener.