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written and directed by Nicole Stamp

October 4-29, 2005

by Anita Majumdar, directed by Gregory Prest

October 4-November 5, 2005

Theatre Passe Muraille, Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace, Toronto

Theatre Passe Muraille’s “Stage 3” series continues with a double bill of two one-woman shows, both featuring vivacious, multitalented performers in their own work.  Nicole Stamp’s 20-minute Better Parts acts as a tasty hors d-oeuvre before Anita Majumdar’s more substantial but overlong Fish Eyes.

Better Parts is not so much a play as a short party piece to display Stamp’s talents.  In it she presents the relentlessly materialist dreams of a disgruntled office temp as she walks home from work.  Accompanied by Paul Clifford on jazz double bass, Stamp exudes hipness and self-confidence as she enumerates the temp’s wish list in clever rhyme and song.  It’s an ultra-cool intro but you’d like to see Stamp move beyond the superficial.

In Fish Eyes Majumdar plays Meena, a girl torn between two worlds.  She studies classical Indian dance with Raj survivor Kalyani Aunty but would just like to be a “normal” high school girl.  Her idol is Indian actress Aishwarya Rai but she has a crush on the white jock at school.  Majumdar’s ability to switch voices among Meena, Kalyani and several other characters is impressive and her dancing is a constant delight.  If the show dropped some side-plots to move to 60 from 75 minutes, it would achieve the final uplift it seeks.       

©Christopher Hoile

Note: A version of this review appeared in Eye Weekly 2005-10-13.

Photo: Anita Majumdar as Meena in Fish Eyes. ©2005 Aviva Armour-Ostroff.