21st Century Tricksters - Old Lore Meets MTV

I sat down. I saw. I laughed. The performers (Nyla Carpentier, David Kaye and Brad Duffy) have a blast performing this show and you can tell. They bounce off and react to each other quite well. David Kaye, who plays the Trickster Coyote, has a super quick wit and I am just wondering aloud here but did he remind anyone else of Aziz Ansari? Nyla Carpentier, who plays the Trickster Raven and who also wrote the show, is a beautiful performer and luckily we got to witness some stunning dance moves. Brad Duffy, as the MC, turned an otherwise really unlikeable character into someone you just wanted to give a pat on the head to and an, “Oh sweetie how do you put your own pants on?” kind of treatment.

It takes a while to really warm up to the show and the characters of the tricksters. When they first entered the playing space, they were quite irritating, which I am pretty sure was the goal. Then we fall in love with their energy, their light and their hearts. It then becomes story time. We settle in to listen and I wished there was a fire in the middle of the theatre. That of course would not have been safe, but this show feels as though marshmallows should be roasted at some point. The comedy is there and the performers are quick. I found Carpentier jumping the laugh line quite a bit. As the writer she knows the material better than anyone and she was playing the joke instead of reliving it in the moment with her fellow performer and us. Her energy was endearing but overwhelming in the space at times. I would have like to have seen some other aspects to the characterization of the Raven. The script at times jumped all over the place and hasn’t yet found its voice.

I enjoyed the premise of these old lore characters telling their stories and sharing their impact on community today. The subject matter is also very much worth talking about and there needs to be more of this content on the stage. I caution Carpentier from going towards the cliché and challenge her to find a stronger ending. There was dance music, puppetry, pasties (yes you heard me), dancing, comedy and some kick ass lighting changes. Check out 21st Century Tricksters. The Raven and the Coyote are happy to be your Emcees….just make sure you are not the one being tricked.