Stay Away from my Boat @$$hole –

“Stay Away from my Boat @$$hole” is a 30 minute gem of a show and a must see at this year’s fringe. The company is fast becoming the leader in site specific theatre in the city and this time they have situated the action in the water and on the beach below the Alder Bay Bridge on Granville Island. 

The audience watches from above as the three male characters encounter each other in the moments before the end of the world.  It’s a dog eat dog world in this play and their relationships aren’t pretty.  Well, for the most part anyway! Sebastian Archibald’s satirical script is both through provoking, concise and funny.  Clever ‘radio’ broadcasts fill the audience in on the world we are being let into.  They are a great throwback to the days of radio plays and I enjoyed hearing the characters shine through in the voices.  The rest of the story is told through physical theatre that is reminiscent of silent films and slapstick comedy.  It’s entertaining and fun.

The acting is great. David Benedict Brown and Colby Wilson commit and are hilarious comic duo and Sebastian Archibald  brings a menacing- almost chilling elegance and poise to his character.

For an outdoor show I think this one does well in terms of production value.  It’s well lit, the costumes are effective and the staging  and direction by Chelsea Haberlin is great.  I especially like how they used distance as part of the staging (I won’t say any more lest I spoil a surprising and funny reveal).  The sound design by Chris Adams takes us serves as a brilliant soundscape that serves as an emotional enhancer for the actor’s actions.  Well paired and varied it takes us on a journey through a variety of moods and even ideas.

The natural beauty of Granville Island at night makes this an all-around enjoyable show to see outdoors. The creativity, the confidence and the vision of this company makes them one to watch.